Lobster Stuffed Flounder

We are members of a CSF – a wonderful program that offers shareholders fresh fish, caught locally the morning of pick-up. It’s like a CSA, but with fish. This week’s catch was flounder – 12 fillets. In case you were wondering, that’s a lot of fish. Fortunately, I was hosting a pot luck dinner the following evening.

There are plenty of lovely ways to make flounder, but I decided to make roulades with a lobster meat stuffing just to kick things up a notch. Back in my pescatarian days, I was really big into fish stuffed with lobster, and much preferred its fancy-factor over a simply baked white fish – which is also great of course, just not as special-occasion-y.

Some recipes call for a great big list of ingredients for the stuffing. I like to keep it simple in order to prevent the lobster meat from getting lost, because if you’re going to throw in a whole crisper drawer, you might as well just use imitation crab meat (horrors!), and that would surely be less than stellar. Lobster meat is combined with just enough onion and butteriness to complement its sweetness, and thin flounder fillets make the perfect pouch for the stuffing.

I recommend using a glass or ceramic baking dish, which will keep the roulades warm after they have been removed from the oven.

In other news, for the potluck, my gracious friends brought a fantastic salad, chocolate cakes, bananas foster spring rolls, a white cake with fruit, pound cake with strawberries and perfect homemade whipped cream, and fantastically rich gluten-free brownies (Thank you ladies if you are reading this!), and we served my Roasted Pork Tenderloin, and a strawberry rhubarb pie that I improvised. A lovely, lovely evening.

Lobster Stuffed Flounder - serves 6 – 12

12 flounder fillets
1 C crushed buttery crackers
1/2 C mayonnaise
1/2 lb lobster meat (about 3 tails)
2 green onions, finely chopped
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl combine crushed crackers, mayo, green onion, lobster meat and egg.

Lay fillet flat on a work surface and spoon a compact 1/4 cup of stuffing onto the center of the fillet. Fold the sides of the fillet over the stuffing.

Arrange stuffed fillets in a buttered 9″x 13″ baking dish.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Serve to dear friends/ people who like fish.

Creamy Potato Salad

Potato salad is the obvious side for a barbecue. Sure you can buy a tub at the market, but it’s really not difficult to make at home. This recipe comes out thick and creamy. Red and green onions add color and flavor, and dill mellows out the mix.

It’s also a pretty fast recipe. The potatoes are peeled and cubed before simmering, so they cook in less than 7 minutes. It’s also great to make in advance, as the longer it sits refrigerated, the more the potatoes absorb the flavor.

Try it out. Then when your friends and neighbors come over to your next barbecue and say, “Yum! This potato salad is wonderful! Where did you buy it?”, you can smile proudly and say, “I made it myself, thank you very much!”

Creamy Potato Salad – serves 4 – 6

6 – 7 medium golden potatoes
3/4 C mayonnaise
2 t apple cider vinegar
1/2 C red onion, diced
3 T green onion, finely chopped
1 T dried dill
1 t sugar
salt to taste

Peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes, about 1/2 inches wide. Drop into salted, boiling water, lower heat to and allow to simmer for 5 – 7 minutes. Take one out, allow it to cool and test to make sure the potato is cooked. They should be just soft enough for a knife to come out easily, but not smooshy. Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes until cool.

Meanwhile, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, onions, dill and sugar in a large bowl. Add potatoes. Mix gently to avoid crushing the potatoes.

Transfer to a serving dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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

Barbecue Steamed Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads, a type of fern harvested before the plant has a chance to unfurl, are as much a harbinger of spring in New England – and as fleeting – as a migratory bird passing through. They come up in the middle of spring, around the end of April and into May, when the soil has thawed and early vegetation makes its presence known.

The flavor is fresh and grassy, and offers a good contrast to heavier meats.

The following recipe uses the grill, so that while you happen to have the barbecue fired up anyway, you can toss your fiddleheads on toward the end for a quick steam in a foil pouch. The fiddleheads absorb the butter as it melts, turning each into a little net of creaminess.

If it’s still raining where you are, this recipe works just as will in a pan on the stove.

Barbecue Steamed Fiddleheads – serves 2 – 4

2 dozen fiddleheads
1 T butter, cut into 1/8 inch cubes
1 wedge of lemon

Clean the fiddleheads by rinsing them with cool water and cutting off the stems to expose a fresher surface.

Place them in the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Evenly distribute the cubes of butter over the fiddleheads.

Fold fold the two opposite sides together and fold and press the ends together to form a pouch.

Place on a 400 degree grill for 5 – 7 minutes, flipping once. To avoid overcooking, it’s a good idea to do this once any meats or fish are just finishing up on the grill, since the fiddleheads need very little time to cook.

Remove from foil, place in a serving dish and squeeze with fresh lemon.

Ingredient origins – Fiddleheads – Maine; Butter – Maine; Lemon – Mexico

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