Houston Restaurants & Food

Source: Chef Ryan Pera from The Treehouse in Discovery Green

Eat Where Your Food Swims!

Watch Chef Ryan Pera, from The Treehouse in Discovery Green, shows Houston restaurant journalist Cleverley Stone how to make local Gulf Flounder with Citrus Salsa.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 pieces of 24 inch parchment paper
• 2 pieces of Gulf flounder filet
• 1 head fennel, shaved on a mandolin
• 4 leaves Swiss chard, sliced thinly
• 1 lemon, sliced in rings
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 shallot
• Salt and pepper
• 1 batch of citrus salsa (see below)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place a baking sheet in oven.
3. Fold two pieces of parchment paper in half crosswise, cut each into a half-heart shape, and open.
4. Divide fennel and chard evenly among the parchments, forming a bed on one side of the heart and season with salt.
5. Place one flounder fillet on each bed of fennel; season with salt, and top each packet with garlic and shallots, thyme and 2 lemon slices.
6. Fold the parchment over the ingredients, making small overlapping folds along the edge to seal.
7. Using a large spatula, lift and place parchment packets on the heated baking sheets.
8. Bake until the packets have puffed up and the fish is cooked, 15 to 18 minutes.
9. Transfer the packets to individual plates.
10. After opening, the spoon citrus salsa over fish.
11. Serve immediately.

Recipe for Citrus Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 orange
• 1 Texas grapefruit
• 1 Meyer lemon
• 1 blood orange
• 1 shallot
• 1 Tbl chopped parsley
• 1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Using a knife, remove all rind and pith (the white part under the rind) from all citrus.
2. Insert the knife in between each membrane (segment divider) to remove the citrus filets.
3. Remove all seeds.
4. Mix all citrus filets with remainder of ingredients in a bowl.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Store in refrigerator for topping on flounder.
7. Keeps for two days.

The Grove is one of two new restaurants located inside Houston’s new eco-friendly park, Discovery Green. The eatery is located on the south side of the park, across the street from the Hilton Americas Hotel in downtown Houston.

Executive Chef Ryan Pera, who most recently worked at Alden Hotel’s 17, created the American Rustic menu featuring rotisserie specials, steak and seafood with famed Chef Robert Del Grande.

The eatery also features an open-air deck called the Treehouse, which the operators hope will become the go-to downtown spot for drinks and appetizers.

The Grove is located at 1611 Lamar street. Call (713) 337-7314 for more information.

Click here to wathc FOX 26′s Melinda Spaulding virtual tour of the new eatery.