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    Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

    Florida Pompano with a Meyer Lemon – Grapefruit Sauce

    Published: Mar 13, 2013 · Modified: May 26, 2020 by Chef Dennis Littley

    278 shares
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    • Yummly
    5 from 7 votes
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    pinterest image for oven roasted pompano

    When I shop I find myself invariably looking for new items, something to peak my interest and to break the monotony. This week I happened upon Florida Pompano and decided to give it a try.

    roasted Florida Pompano with pistachios in a sauce on a white plate with sliced grapefruit and red leaf lettuce on the side

    As I continued shopping, I kept passing these beautiful Ruby Red Grapefruit. Although grapefruit has never been a favorite of mine, they seem to be calling to me. I kept walking past the display until I finally picked one up. As I held it my hands mesmerized at the perfection of this simple fruit, I could smell the fragrance of the grapefruit and as my senses went into overdrive, I smiled and continued shopping.

    As my journey through the market continued, enjoying my “me time” shopping, I finally made it to the last aisle, where the fresh seafood was kept. It’s funny how the store is set up. Most stores seem to always start in the produce section but Wegmans is set up with the meats and seafood to the right of the produce which is one end of the store.

    So as you make your way through the rest of the market, you have to double back and make another trip through the entire store to get back to the meats and seafood. I think that’s really good planning on their part because no one starts in meats and seafood, those are always your last selections because they’re the most perishable.

    roasted Florida Pompano on a white plate with pistachios in a sauce with sliced grapefruit and red leaf lettuce on the side

    As I looked at the week’s offerings I saw a gorgeous whole fish that I wasn’t familiar with. I had heard of Pompano but had never tried it. As I watched the fishmonger expertly clean the fish for me,  I began thinking about how to prepare it and my beautiful ruby red grapefruit came to mind.

    Pompano is a naturally oily fish, which tends to make the meat more rich and flavorful than most fish, but still pleasantly mild. I added a little Meyer Lemon zest to the mix, simply because I could, but it also provided a little boost to the grapefruit and added a visual note to the sauce. I also added toasted pistachios to the dish that proved to be a wonderful addition to the sauce while adding yet another visual element.

    I made a small salad to go with the Pompano using the remaining grapefruit segments, pistachio’s, red leaf lettuce and some gorgonzola crumbles. Simply drizzled with some extra virgin olive oil, it was a delicious accompaniment to the Pompano.

    If you enjoyed this recipe you may also like these:

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    Pompano-with-Meyer Lemon Ruby-Red-Grapefruit
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    5 from 7 votes

    Florida Pompano with a Meyer Lemon – Grapefruit Sauce

    Pompano is a delightful mild white fish that lends itself to any topping you might like to add to it, especially citrus.  
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 387kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 12-14 ounces pompano fillets
    • 1 ruby red grapefruit ½ peeled and separated ½ juiced
    • zest of one Meyer lemon
    • 2 tablespoons salted pistachios- toasted
    • 2 tablespoons butter
    • 2 tablespoons white wine
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • sea salt and black pepper to taste
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    Instructions

    • Place pompano fillets in baking dish, lightly coating each fillet with olive oil and adding a sprinkling of sea salt and black pepper
    • Add a little water to the pan and roast pompano in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes
    • In a saute pan over medium high heat add 1 tsp butter and allow to melt, when the pan is hot add in pistachios. Toss and keep over the heat for about a minute then add the white wine. Allow the alcohol to burn off (30 seconds or so)
    • Add in grapefruit juice and Meyer lemon zest, turn heat to low and reduce slightly.
    • Take remaining butter and roll it in flour, add this to the sauce (this is called a beurre manie) it will thicken your sauce.
    • Remove from heat and hold until pompano is finished cooking.
    • Reheat sauce being very careful not to overheat sauce. If the sauce looks a little oily or to thick add a teaspoon of water to the sauce, this will help restore it.
    • Serve sauce over Pompano and enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 387kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 604mg | Potassium: 515mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1850IU | Vitamin C: 38.8mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 0.7mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barbara

      October 17, 2020 at 11:20 am

      5 stars
      First time I have eaten Pompano and loved it. My husband who is a foodie loved it too

      Reply
    2. Dennis C

      January 15, 2019 at 6:43 pm

      5 stars
      From one Dennis to another that was a great blend my wife wants me to go fishing more thanks Bud!!!

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        January 15, 2019 at 7:11 pm

        Thank you Dennis, I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my recipe!

        Reply
    3. JulieD

      March 22, 2013 at 11:13 am

      Oh my! I love the citrus flavors in this dish! And you had me at meyer lemons!

      Reply
    4. Gourmantine

      March 16, 2013 at 2:15 am

      5 stars
      Hi Dennis, how is that grapefruit escaped your attention so long? It’s such a versatile and healthy fruit (though should not be taken with certain medication), but I applaud you for seeking new ingredients, it’s all too easy to get stuck in routine with the ‘regular’ ones.
      I like the simplicity of this dish!

      Reply
    5. mangiabella

      March 15, 2013 at 9:13 pm

      Chef what a great blend of flavors!!!! I really love ruby red grapefruits, and I simply do not buy them enough. I sense a craving coming on!!!!! I did find some sausage tortellini finally, going to go back and make your chicken tortellini soup from this past november…can’t wait!!! Hope things are warming up in your corner of the world, thinking of you and sending a smile and a warm embrace your way

      Reply
    6. Wizzy

      March 15, 2013 at 2:06 pm

      Sometimes a stroll through the supermarket is indeed to break out of the doldrums and inspire a great new meal like this one

      Reply
    7. anna

      March 14, 2013 at 11:17 pm

      5 stars
      this is a very pretty dish, and it sounds like a great mix of flavors. yum!

      Reply
    8. RavieNomNoms

      March 14, 2013 at 8:20 am

      Oh wow, that looks really delightful!!

      Reply
    9. Scott Borel

      March 14, 2013 at 6:31 am

      Jeez this looks good! Very nice!

      Reply
    10. Kim Bultman | a little lunch

      March 13, 2013 at 11:23 pm

      Dennis, it amused me that you consider grocery shopping as “me time.” Me, too! I’ll probably get arrested for loitering in a grocery store someday (ha!), but I can’t help it. Your fish dish looks delicious… we were just talking about getting our fishing licenses this weekend — yup, Spring’s comin’. (Hope your grey days are over soon!)

      Reply
    11. Kristi Rimkus

      March 13, 2013 at 8:56 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Chef – I’ve not seen Pompano here in Seattle, but this dish looks amazing. I’m guessing another meaty white fish would work?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis

        March 14, 2013 at 7:10 am

        hi Kristi
        yes any meaty white fish would work, this would would be a nice topping for flounder, fluke, tilapia or anything similar and would probably be good with tuna or swordfish.

        Dennis

        Reply
    12. Abbe@This is How I Cook

      March 13, 2013 at 6:46 pm

      I have had pompano. It is delicious. That was 30 some years ago when we lived in Florida and i don’t think I’ve seen it since. Good sounding recipe, sir!

      Reply
    13. Kath

      March 13, 2013 at 5:43 pm

      That’s a beautiful plate of fish, Dennis! I’d like to try pompano sometime. It’s not something we see in the Pacific Northwest.

      Reply

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