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.

Lemon Basil Redfish

One fish, two fish, red fish. No bluefish, but this week’s Fresh Catch was indeed redfish, or ocean perch. After many weeks of cod, which I do adore, I was thrilled when my favorite fish expert pulled a bag of big-eyed, red fish out of the CAFC cooler. Yay!

I made a dish similar to this with last week’s sole, using lemon and fresh basil. I loved the way it filled our kitchen with that fragrant, flowery basil aroma. It went well with the sole, so I decided to try it out with the redfish. The result offered that fantastic flavor and aroma of fresh basil, and the tang of lemon which added just the right amount of zing to the the fish.

Cape Ann Fresh Catch has a new season beginning on August 9th. I plan to join, mainly for the whiting – a delicate and seasonal white fish. I fell in love with fresh whiting from the share last fall and I was disappointed to find that’s not available fresh all year, and not surprisingly it is not as delicate when acquired from the supermarket freezer.

I have learned more about local fish and its seasonality in the past year of being a member of Cape Ann Fresh Catch than I have in my entire life, which has been spent on or near the coast of New England. This fact speaks to our dependence on supermarkets that maintain a uniform stock from coast to coast. I cannot count the number of times I’ve asked at our local supermarket fish counter where the lobster comes from, only to be told it’s just been shipped in from Canada, when I can see lobster traps from my window.

Anyway, CAFC’s new season starts on the 9th, and the application can be found here.

Lemon Basil Redfish – serves  5 – 6

5 – 6 redfish (ocean perch) – about 3 lb
olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 C basil, loosely chopped
1 t salt
2 T olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Meanwhile, watch the video. Remove the fins (which are sharp). Make an incision to remove the – how shall I put it delicately? Guts. Remove the gills and give the fish a rinse. I learned the hard way that it is a good idea to remove all of the black lining. Apparently this is important with ocean perch because it can have a bitter flavor. We didn’t scale it, but that would probably be a good idea.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil. Place the fish on the sheet, salt the inside, and stuff with basil. Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Serve whole – each fish is an individual serving. Just peel back the skin and watch for bones.

Ingredient origins: redfish – local waters, lemon – California, basil – Massachusetts, sea salt – Maine, olive oil – Italy

Cod en Papillote

It’s fish share day again and this week’s fish share was cod. As much as I love creating all of my silly little fish recipes, I still think the best way to enjoy fresh cod is simply baked with butter. Wrapping it in parchment paper allows the fish to steam as it bakes without drying out the meat.

Also, making the papillote, or pouch, is like making a fun little Valentine for your fish, because the paper is cut into a heart shape before the sides are tucked.

Dill is the classic match for cod and lends its fresh, grassy flavor without barging right in, and butter is butter. You know the deal.

Any white round fish similar to cod (haddock, pollock, etc), will work perfectly for this dish. I just happened to have plenty of fresh cod laying around today.

Cod en Papillote – serves 2 – 4

1 – 1 lb cod, haddock or pollock fillet
2 T butter
3 – 5 sprigs of fresh dill, finely chopped (about 2 T)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

While the oven preheats, melt the butter in an oven-proof dish until lightly browned and bubbling.

Place the fillet diagonally on the left-hand side of a large piece of parchment paper – large enough for the right half of the paper to fold over the top of the fillet. Fold the right-hand side of the paper over the fish. Allowing a 2 or 3 inch margin on all sides, cut out the silhouette of the fish just as if you’re cutting out a heart for a Valentine Day card.

Turn the paper back again to pour the browned butter over the fish and sprinkle with dill.

Fold the paper over. Tuck and crease the edges to form a seal.

Cook for 10-15 minutes until the fish is just beginning to flake apart with a fork.

The fish and butter will form a rich sauce in the papillote. Be sure to spoon this over each serving for maximum yums.

Serve hot.

Filo Fish Pie

I eat a lot of fish. In fact, we belong to community supported fishery. It’s great and there’s often a quite a bit left over. I developed this recipe during our winter share, when we had a good amount of excess each week and I wanted to create a decadent and flavorful dish with the leftover cooked fish. For some reason, when I think decadent, I always think flaky.

Briny and sharp, feta adds satisfying tang to white fish. Flaky filo makes this dish reminiscent of burek (though not nearly as rich and fantastic – it’ll be a mighty day when I have the chops to pull off burek).

Filo Fish Pie – serves 4 – 6

1.5 lb cooked (poached or baked) cod, haddock, pollock or another round white fish
1/2 lb filo dough (about 20 sheets)
6 – 8 ounces feta cheese, diced
1/3 C olive oil

If starting with fresh fish as opposed to leftover, begin by baking or oven-poaching the fish at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. If poaching, I recommend using a combination of 1/2 C white wine and 1/2 C fish stock.

Remove any skin or pin bones from the fish.

Brushing each layer of filo dough with olive oil as you go, layer10 sheets (or half of a 1/2 lb. package) into baking dish Depending on the size, the sheets may need to be folded or overlapped to line the dish. It’s not a huge deal if it’s not perfect. Despite how delicate filo is, it’s also forgiving in the end result.

Place chunks of the fish in the filo-lined dish. Top with diced feta.

Layer the rest of the filo over the the top of the pie, brushing each layer as before. Fold the edges up over the sides to seal.

Bake 25 minutes at 350 until golden brown.

Ingredient origins: Cod – Coastal New England; White wine – California; Feta – Maine; Filo – New Jersey; Olive oil – Italy

Grilled Turmeric Salmon

Whenever we had fish when I was growing up my father would turn to me and say, in a feigned serious tone, “You know what they say about fish, don’t you? It’s brain food.” Oh yes, that’s right. It is.

Well, so are some spices. Turmeric, high in curcumin, the compound that gives curry its yellow hue, is said to potentially stave off Alzheimer’s and certain cancers. In fact, societies that use turmeric in their cuisine are known to have lower rates of Alzheimer’s than those that don’t. Whether it will save my memory or not, I like to use turmeric where I can. It adds flavor and color to boot. Adding spice is also a great way to avoid the need to add salt.

We just had a lovely weekend of warm weather, and so we decided it was time to bust out the grill for the first time this season. If you like fish, a fish broiler, also called a fish grill basket, is a great tool to have on hand for barbecue season. It allows the fish to grill over an open flame without falling apart when flipped or falling through the grates. The only other tool I would recommend is a grill thermometer, so that you know when the coals are hot enough to cook.

Turmeric adds a mellow flavor to the salmon and the grill does there rest.

Grilled Turmeric Salmon – serves 2 – 4

1 lb salmon fillets
2 T olive oil
1 t turmeric

Using a brush or your hands, coat the salmon wit olive oil. Dust the fillets with turmeric. I like to use a sifter to avoid clumps and get an even distribution.

Either secure the fish in a grill basket, or make a little pan out of tin foil.

When the grill is heated to 400 degrees, place the fish over the coals, skin side down, and cover for 5 – 7 minutes, checking once or twice to see that it isn’t burning. If using a basket, flip the salmon. If not, move it to a cooler part of the grill and cover another 3 – 5 minutes. It’s okay if the skin get a little charred. The meat is protected buy the skin, so charring will not effect the flavor.

The salmon is done when the meat just begins to seep white. Remove from heat. Place the basket, skin side up, over a dish or cutting board. Open cage and, allowing gravity to do its job, gently lift the top side of the cage. If the fish sticks, carefully press the fish from the top of the cage, allowing it to release.

Plate and serve with grilled vegetables.

Ingredient origins: Salmon – Alaska (I know, I know, I know. I live in New England, so why not go for Atlantic Salmon? Because it’s over fished and farmed salmon is just awful for the environment and for us); Olive oil – Italy, Turmeric – India