Chinese Five-Spice Black Pepper Red Drum with Ginger Scallion Oil

Ingredients

• 3 fillets red drum fillets
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger
• 4 stalks scallions
• 3 tbsp neutral oil (canola or grapeseed)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (low-sodium)
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp lime juice(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Prep (20 minutes): Pat fish dry. Mince garlic and finely grate ginger. Thinly slice scallions, separating white and green parts. In a small bowl, mix salt, black pepper, and Chinese five-spice powder.

2. 2

   Prep (20 minutes): Rub the spice mixture evenly over both sides of the red drum fillets. Let sit at room temperature while you preheat the grill (or grill pan).

3. 3

   Cook (17 minutes): Preheat grill to medium-high. Oil the grates lightly. Grill fillets 4–6 minutes per side (depending on thickness) until the fish flakes easily and reaches 145°F/63°C.

4. 4

   Finish (17 minutes): While fish cooks, make ginger-scallion oil: Heat neutral oil in a small saucepan over medium until shimmering. Add scallion whites and ginger; cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant. Turn off heat and stir in soy sauce and rice vinegar (and lime juice if using). Add scallion greens last and let steep 1 minute.

5. 5

   Serve: Drizzle ginger-scallion oil over the grilled fish and serve immediately.