Flounder Meuniere

Sole and flounder are similar in that they’re both flatfish and they share similar tastes and textures. They are both also difficult to fillet without a good sharp knife. We got five yellowtail flounder from our fish share last week. We’ve gotten flounder a few times from the share and often I’ve not done the best job of filleting. This time however, I got it. Yay. One of the great things about joining a fish share like Cape Ann Fresh Catch, besides getting a generous amount of fish every week, is that multiple fish mean plenty of practice filleting and trying new recipes.

This dish is based on Sole Meuniere. Flounder is so delicate and mild, butter, lemon and parsley add just enough richness and zip without overwhelming.

Special thanks to Bunson for the knife sharpener. Best. Holiday present. Ever.

Flounder Meuniere – serves 3 – 6

3 flounder, filleted
1/2 C flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 C + 2 T butter
juice from 1 lemon
1/4 C chopped parsley

Mix the flour and salt together in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fillets through the flour mixture and allow to rest 10 minutes. This helps the flour to adhere to the fish while it cooks.

Melt the quarter cup of butter over medium heat until it foams. Place the fillets in the pan skin side up to prevent the skin from shrinking, and cook 2 minutes on either side until lightly browned.

Remove the fish from the pan. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, scraping up any bits left in the pan. Melt the final two tablespoons of butter in the lemon juice, combining to thicken until lightly browned. Serve with chopped parsley.

Pan-Fried Rosemary Cod

This was the final week of our fish share until the next season which starts in the spring. We got a lovely cod. Fresh cod is so delicate, it deserves to not have its flavor masked by other things. In this case, lemon adds a bit of zing and fresh rosemary lends its mellow flavor without taking over the dish.

While we’re on the topic of fresh herbs vs. dried, I find fresh rosemary to be far less intrusive than dried rosemary, which seems to walk right into a dish and act like it owns the place. Other herbs seem less concentrated when dried, like parsley and basil, but not so with rosemary. Use fresh rosemary for subtle flavor in this dish.

Since we got our fish whole, I left the skin on, but you can do it either way. I find that leaving the skin on helps the fillets stay together when they’re flipped, but if you only have access to skinned fillets of cod, you’re still good. Also, for pan-frying, I like to cut fish fillets into relatively small pieces so that they are easier to flip. Just a personal preference, you can do it either way. It’s your kitchen.

Pan-Fried Rosemary Cod - serves 2 – 4

2 T butter
1/3 C flour
Juice from 1 lemon
1 sprig fresh rosemary, finely chopped (about 1 t)
1 -1 lb fillet of cod

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, add the chopped rosemary, reduce heat to low, and allow infuse gradually, 5 – 7 minutes, being careful not to burn the rosemary.

Meanwhile, squeeze lemon juice into a shallow bowl. Pour flour into a separate shallow bowl. Cut to fillet into two to four pieces. Dredge in lemon juice and shake off excess. Dredge in flour and shake off excess.

Raise heat to medium-high. When the butter begins to bubble again, add the fish presentation-side down, or skin-side up. Lower heat to medium and cook for 4 minutes.

Gently shake the pan to loosen the fish from the pan. Using a metal spatula or fish turner, gently flip the fish to cook the other side, being careful to keep the golden crust that’s formed intact. Cook for another 4 minutes.

Serve hot with a wedge of lemon.

Ingredient origins: Butter – Maine; Flour – Vermont; Lemon – California; Rosemary – Massachusetts; Cod – Massachusetts

Fried Northern Shrimp

Yesterday was fish share day. We picked up the last 5 lb bag of beautifully fresh native Northern Shrimp of the season from our Community Supported Fishery. Northern shrimp are the only shrimp native to New England and from what I understand, they’re only around in the middle of winter. So this is the end of the line for us until next year. How exciting! What to do, what to do?

I decided to fry them. Northern shrimp are very sweet and you’d think breading and frying would mask their delicate flavor. Not so in this case.

A light coating of flour and panko creates just the right amount of crunch to showcase their tenderness without weighing them down in oil, and the savory seasonings complement the shrimp’s sweetness. The key is starting each batch with the oil at 375 degrees, and keeping it above 300 degrees as it fries. If the temperature slips below 300 degrees, the breading will absorb the oil rather than browning and it will become saturated. That said, these are easy to make, and the result rivals anything you’d find at your local seaside clam shack.

Fried Northern Shrimp – Serves 4 – 6

5 – 6 C Northern Shrimp, peeled with heads and tails removed (about 5 lbs whole)
1.5 C flour
1 C panko crumbs
1 t salt
3 t old bay seasoning
1.5 – 2 quarts canola oil

If purchased whole, remove

In a medium bowl mix flour, panko, salt and old bay seasoning. Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture and shake off excess.

Arrange paper towels for draining – I like to use a baking sheet covered with one layer of paper towels, then a cooling rack and another layer of paper towels. This way the top layer absorbs oil and the lower layer catches any drips. But hey, it’s your kitchen.

Heat oil to 375 degrees in a large stockpot or fryer. Start off with about a quart and a half, and you may need to add a little bit more with each batch. Carefully drop shrimp into the oil in batches, 2 cups at a time. Adjust with a heat resistant spoon to be sure they do not stick together. Cook 1- 2 minutes. Remove with a spider or strainer and place on paper towels to drain. Let the oil get back up to 375 degrees before adding the next batch.

Serve hot with a squish of lemon and maybe a bit of tartar sauce.

Ingredient origins: Northern shrimp – the waters right outside our door; Flour – Vermont; Panko – unknown; Sea salt – Maine; Seasoning – Maryland; Canola oil – unknown

Greek Style Cod Soup

This week’s Community Supported Fishery catch was cod. We currently have a freezer full of fish cakes and we’ve roasted quite a few fish whole since signing up for the CSF. So I decided to set Wayback Machine to 2006 and go over to my trusty recipe box for ideas. I had worked on this recipe for a while before settling on the right proportion of ingredients.

As you know, soups and stews are great in cold weather. While the traditional players this time of year can be rich and heavy, Greek Style Cod Soup is light, nutritious and satisfying. Seasoned simply with salt, pepper and parsley, the flavor of the fish is allowed to stand on it own.

Greek Style Cod Soup – serves 4- 6

2 quarts water
1 t sea salt
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C freshly chopped parsley
2 carrots, chopped
2 tomatoes, diced, or 1 1/2 C cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 large russet potato, peeled and diced
3/4 C white rice
3 lb cod fillets, cut into large 3 – 5″ pieces
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add vegetables, rice, oil and half of the parsley. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Add cod, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. It’s important to check on it occasionally be sure the simmer does not become a rapid boil or the fish could fall apart.

Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the remaining parsley.

Ingredient origins: Sea salt – Maine; Olive oil – Italy; Organic parsley – Rhode Island; Organic carrots – California; Tomatoes – Mexico; Onion – California; Potato – unknown; Rice – California; Cod – Atlanic Ocean right outside our door.

Easy Rustic Northern Shrimp

We had our first pick-up of shrimp from our fish share this week. A five pound bag of these little fellas, freshly plucked from the ocean only hours before. Very exciting!

This recipe is basic but delicious. The shrimp are cooked whole and peeled at the table. It’s not necessary to devein because of their small size. Tender and sweet, they don’t need much additional flavor, but the wine and seasonings lend zing and complement the sweetness.

Easy Rustic Northern Shrimp - Serves 2 – 4

2.5 lb North Atlantic Shrimp
1 1/2 C dry white wine
3 C water
2 T Old Bay seasoning

Rinse shrimp, removing any roe and long tentacles. (Note: The roe is actually edible! We tried a tiny bit on crackers just as you might any caviar. It was mild and sweet.)

Bring water, wine and seasoning to a boil in a large stockpot. Add shrimp, bring back to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 3 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit an additional 3 minutes. The shrimp will continue to cook during this time.

Remove shrimp from stock, reserving some liquid.

Serve in shallow bowls with a half cup of liquid and crusty bread for dipping. To eat: twist the head off (be sure to enjoy the glorious liquid from the head!), peel the shell off like a jacket and enjoy.

Ingredient origins: North Atlantic Shrimp – the waters right outside our door; Wine – California; Seasoning – Maryland