Pan Seared Snook with Crab & Citrus Buerre Blanc

I recently was down in Naples Florida and cooked a dinner for a couple of clients.  The host, a fabulous fisherman asked me to prepare Snook.  Truth be told, I never cooked this beautiful fish before.  I had it once about 25 years ago at a private party and just remembered that it was a firm, very tasty, meaty fleshed fish.  So, I punted and here's what came out...

4 Snook fillets (You can easily substitute Grouper, Sea Bass, or any firm white fish.)
2 Tbsp. Flour
4oz. Crab meat
1 Tbsp. Shallots, peeled and sliced
1 clove Garlic, peeled and sliced
3 Tbsp. Olive oil

Buerre Blanc-
1 Tbsp. Olive oil
8 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp minced shallot
1/2 C. White wine
1Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 Tsp. Orange zest
1 Tsp. Lemon zest
1 C. Heavy cream
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp Italian flat leaf parsley, chopped
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Add oil to a sauté pan and heat over medium heat.  Add shallots and garlic to the oil and cook slowly to infuse flavors to the oil, about 10-15 minutes.  Do not burn.  Remove garlic and shallots from oil, discard solids and reserve oil to sauté fish.

In a medium sauce pan add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil, heat over medium high heat.  Once hot, add shallots and sweat for 3-4 minutes.  Add orange and lemon zests and bay leaf, cook another minute.  Increase heat to high and add wine and lemon juice.  Reduce by half.  Add heavy cream and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Be careful cream will expand rapidly and if not watched will boil over and cause a fire on the stove top.  Lower heat and reduce cream by half, stirring constantly.  Once cream has thickened to the consistency of a sauce, strain through a fine sieve into another small pot.  Discard the solids.  Put sauce back on low heat and whisk in remaining butter.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep sauce warm, but do not boil as it will break.

Season fish fillets with salt and pepper and dust with flour.  Place sauté pan with the seasoned oil on medium high heat and get hot.  Carefully add fish, skin side up and cook to just golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Turn and cook skin side for a minute or two.  Remove from pan and place fish on a buttered baking tray and top with crab.  Put into hot oven and cook until fish is just done, depending on the fillets' size, about 8-10 minutes.  Once done, remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.  Plate the fish and top with some of the Buerre Blanc and parsley.  Serve and enjoy.