Fish With Rum Butter Sauce

Name: Fish With Rum Butter Sauce
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 3 whole green cardamom pods, cracked; 1 3"-long cinnamon stick; 2 tsp. whole allspice; ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1" pieces, divided; 1 small white onion, thinly sliced; 1 3" piece ginger, peeled, thinly sliced; Kosher salt; ¼ cup spiced rum; 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice; 4 4–6-oz. skin-on cod, hake, or haddock fillets, patted dry; Kosher salt; 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved; Cilantro leaves (for serving); 2 layers of cheesecloth

By Tavel Bristol-Joseph

September 14, 2022

Photograph by Miachel Pruett

A tangle of softened onions—and a whole lot of butter!—give heft and body to this silky sauce that’s exactly what the name implies. Chef Tavel Bristol-Joseph of Canje in Austin, Texas—one of our 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022—suggests using dark or spiced rum for maximum flavor. Don’t hold back with the salt and lime juice; you need generous amounts of both to cut through the butter and make the spices sing. Use shrimp or scallops instead of fish if you prefer, and if you have a few extra minutes, consider a pile of pickled onions on top to really go all out.

See all 10 of 2022’s Best New Restaurants →