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Pan-Seared Sablefish With Celery Root Puree and Carrot Greens Pesto (Kenai Fjords National Park)

By: Author Bram Reusen

Posted on Last updated:

Pan-seared sablefish with celery root puree and carrot greens pesto recipe inspired by: Kenai Fjords National Park (alternatively: Glacier Bay National Park).

Also known as butterfish or black cod (even though it’s not related to actual cod), sablefish is one of the most sustainable, flavorful and healthiest fish on the planet.

Although it can be pretty difficult to find and quite expensive, this succulent fish is definitely worth your time and money every once in a while.

Packed with omega 3’s and featuring a flaky, buttery texture, sablefish is unquestionably at the top of the seafood pyramid. It’s one of the best white fish species you can find.

I got my inspiration for this particular sablefish recipe from Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska. Not necessary because sablefish live in the park—they don’t really—but because nearby Seward has historically been a commercial fishing hub in the region.

At Seward’s fish markets and restaurants, sablefish (or black cod) is a staple, along with salmon, rockfish, halibut and cod.

Additionally, because sablefish live in deep muddy sea beds, Kenai Fjords National Park is arguably the only U.S. national park where you might be able to find them. (See this page for more information about fishing in Kenai Fjords National Park.)

Pan-seared sablefish recipe with celeriac puree, roasted baby carrots and carrot greens pesto

Pan-Seared Sablefish With Celeriac Puree, Roasted Baby Carrots and Carrot Greens Pesto

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Servings: 2
  • Calories per serving: 947

While sablefish is the absolute star of this national park-inspired recipe, there are a couple of other amazing components to this dish.

I pan-seared the sablefish and served it on a bed of pureed celery root (also known as celeriac), accompanied by roasted baby carrots and topped with a delicious carrot greens pesto.

A mouthwatering, restaurant-quality meal for those evenings when you feel like going all out in the kitchen. Phenomenal!

This Kenai Fjords National Park-inspired recipe for pan-seared sablefish with celery root puree and carrot greens pesto contains affiliate links. You can read more about our Terms of Use / Disclosure here.

Necessary Kitchen Tools

Pan-seared sablefish recipe with celery root puree, roasted baby carrots and carrot greens pesto
Yield: 2 servings

Kenai Fjords Sablefish With Celery Root Puree, Roasted Baby Carrots and Carrot Greens Pesto Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Inspired by the seafood-rich waters in and around Kenai Fjords National Park, this pan-seared sablefish recipe makes a restaurant-quality meal, ideal for those evenings when you feel like going all out in your kitchen.

Served with a garlicky celery root puree and roasted baby carrots, and topped with a delicious carrot greens pesto, this is a sablefish recipe to die for.

Ingredients

  • 2 6-oz sablefish fillets
  • 8 whole baby carrots with greens
  • 1 celery root, diced
  • 5 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
  • 2/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

Celery Root Puree (25 minutes)

  1. Place diced celery root (celeriac) in a large pot with salted water. Add 3 whole garlic cloves and bring to a boil
  2. Boil until celery root is fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes. Then drain.
  3. Put celery root and garlic back in the pot. Add butter and mash thoroughly until you get a smooth puree. (You can also use a blender for this.)
  4. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Roasted Baby Carrots (30 minutes)

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. While the celery root boils, peel baby carrots; remove and keep the greens.
  3. Place baby carrots on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix everything well with your hands.
  4. Roast in the oven until carrots are fork-tender, about 20-25 minutes, depending on their size. Turn carrots a few times to ensure each side gets roasted equally.

Carrot Greens Pesto (5 minutes)

  1. While celery root boils and carrots roast, prepare the carrot greens pesto.
  2. Put 1 cup carrot greens, 2/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, 2 remaining whole garlic cloves, 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice in a blender.
  3. Mix until the mixture is chopped and has a pesto-like consistency.
  4. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Set aside.

(You will most likely have made too much carrot greens pesto to use in this meal alone, but you can store it in the fridge for a couple of days and use the rest later.)

Carrot greens pesto in bowl

Pan-Seared Sablefish (10 minutes)

  1. Season sablefish generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
  3. Once olive oil is shimmering, add sablefish with skin side down. Press down on the sablefish with your spatula.
  4. Sear sablefish on skin side until skin is lightly browned and crispy, about 5 minutes.
  5. Turn sablefish over and sear flesh side for another 2-3 minutes.

Assemble Plates

  1. If necessary, reheat celery root puree.
  2. Place pan-seared sablefish, skin side down, on a bed of celery root puree. Spread or drizzle carrot greens pesto on top of the sablefish.
  3. Arrange roasted carrots alongside.
  4. Serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing over.
  5. Enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Yield

2

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 947Total Fat 85.4gSaturated Fat 18.2gCholesterol 122mgSodium 2622mgCarbohydrates 15.3gFiber 4.2gSugar 4gProtein 34.3g

A general nutrition calculator was used to determine the nutritional information of this recipe, which is meant solely as an indication of the dish's nutritional values. Depending on specific ingredients, quantities used and/or serving size, the ultimate dish you end up making may have different nutritional aspects. Please consider the information provided here only as guidance and not as an absolute fact.

© Bram
Cuisine: Fish and Seafood / Category: Recipes
Pan-seared sablefish recipe with pureed celeriac, roasted baby carrots and carrot greens pesto
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