Lemon, Caper & Butter Dressed John Dory

 

Today I am going to introduce you to a type of fish you may or may not have ever heard of.  It is probably one of the ugliest fishes you will ever see, but this is one case where you will definitely not want to judge the book by its cover! 

 

Trust me when I say that this is a most flattering illustration as it is much uglier in real life than this. Other names for this fish are the Saint Pierre, or Peter's fish.  It is said to be the fish that Peter brought to Jesus and a related legend states that the dark spot on its side is St Peter's thumbprint.

 

 

All legends aside, this is one very delicious piece of fish, having been described by Jane Grigson to be one of the "most desirable creatures of the sea," and known to be a favourite noted Seafood Chef, Rich Stein.  It has a delicate sweet flavour, comparable to sole or turbot.

 

I got mine from The Fish Society.  The Fish Society is an online Luxury Fish Monger which carries a huge variety of fish, including everything from A - Z!  I am always really impressed with The Fish Society and its service.  Every piece of fish I have ever gotten from them has been lovely and of the highest quality. 

 

Such a beautiful piece of fish deserved to be cooked in the simplest of ways.  One thing I love about fish is that it is a protein that cooks quickly and easily.  I have always found with a fish such as John Dory, the simplest method of cookery is the best method to use and so I simply bake it.

  

Skin side down on an oiled baking sheet, in a moderate oven for only 10 to 12  minutes.  Just long enough for you to prepare a simple sauce to spoon over top.

 

A delicious sauce that will highlight and enhance the flavours of this beautiful fish.  Lemon, Caper and Butter Sauce  . . .  a delicate sauce for a delicate fish . . .

 

You begin by browning butter in a small skillet.  Get it foaming and then just let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown. Take care not to burn it!  If you do, you will have to dump it and begin again.  Trust me when I say it can go from perfect to burnt in a split second. I find it best to remove it from the heat just when you notice it turning a golden colour . . .  it will also take on a nutty, almost cookie/biscuity scent.

 

As soon as you notice this you add a quantity of fresh lemon juice which has been watered down a bit with some cold water  . . .  let this bubble up furiously and then throw in the capers and some chopped fresh parsley . . .

  

A bit of seasoning and that is it.  Your sauce is ready to pour over your perfectly baked fish!  Voila!

Lemon, Caper & Butter Dressed John Dory

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Beautiful fish, perfectly cooked and adorned with a deliciously simple, Lemon, Caper & Butter Sauce

ingredients:

•  Olive oil to grease the baking tin
• 2 John Dory Fillets, skin on
• salt and black pepper to taste

For the Sauce:

• the juice of 2 lemons, mixed with 2 TBS water
• 60g butter (1/4 cup)
• 4 TBS non-pareil capers, drained and rinsed
• 2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
• salt and black pepper to taste

instructions:

How to cook Lemon, Caper & Butter Dressed John Dory

1. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  Oil a baking tray large enough to hold the fish fillets in one layer. Season them lightly with salt and black pepper.  Place them, skin side down, onto the baking sheet.  Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.  The fish should flake easily when done.
2. While the fish is baking make the sauce.  Melt the butter in a small skillet until it begins to foam, over moderate heat. Continue to heat until it just begins to turn golden brown and smell nutty. Take care not to let it burn.  Immediately add half of the lemon juice/water mixture.  Taste and add only enough of the remainder of the lemon/water mixture as desired. (I use it all but I love the flavour of lemon)  Allow it to cook and bubble up fiercely.  Add the capers and parsley. Season to taste and keep warm until the fish is done.  Immediately pour over the cooked fish and serve.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Todd enjoyed his with some crisp frites and runner beans from our garden.  I enjoyed mine with a lovely salad. We were both very happy.  This fish is so delicious.  Don't worry however if you can't get John Dory, you can use the same method to cook Sole or Turbot.  Tilapia would also be nice cooked this way.  You can't go wrong with a decent piece of fish and The Fish Society has some of the nicest fish around, delivered fresh/frozen right to your door.

Coming Tomorrow: Raspberry & Chocolate Ice Cream Parfait along with Nine other Parfait Ideas   

Read more

Sole Fillets with Lemon & Thyme

 

I think Sole has to be one of my absolutely favourites of all the fishes in the sea.  There are two types of Sole which we enjoy here in the UK, Dover Sole and Lemon Sole.  Both are highly-prized, delicately flavoured fishes.  Lemon Sole is slightly less expensive than Dover Sole, but in my opinion is just as delicious and that is what we enjoyed today. 

 

My sole came from The Fish Society.  The Lemon Sole comes two fillets in a package, and in a variety of sizes from small to large.  Mine were medium sized.  They had the skin on, which I didn't necessarily want.  The skin of Sole can be quite rubbery, so I quickly removed it and disposed of it. Its very easy to do if you have a sharp knife.  Just make a small cut through the flesh at the narrow end of the fish, and then, angling your knife slightly, grab hold of the skin and wiggle it through beneath the blade of your knife, pulling it gently away from the fish. I am not sure if I explained that correctly, but I found a video on YouTube that explains it perfectly.  Its a lot easier to do than it is to explain!

  

This is really a beautiful piece of fish, and I have to say, I am always really impressed with The Fish Society and its service.  Every piece of fish I have ever gotten from them has been lovely and of the highest quality.  

It arrives frozen and well packed, ready for you to thaw as and when you need it. With overnight delivery available I just unpack it and throw it right into the freezer when it arrives. Easy Peasy.

 

A fish as delicate and delicious as sole is deserves the simplest treatment when you are cooking it. You want to keep everything as simple as possible. You don't want strong flavours over-powering the flavour of the fish . . .  and with fish this nice, the more simplistic your method of cooking the better.

 

One thing I love about fish is how very quickly it cooks. This  cooks in about six minutes from start to finish to make sure any side dishes are ready and waiting to be served. You won't want to start cooking it until everyone is almost sat down at the table!

 

I seasoned my skinned fillets with kosher salt and black pepper on both sides and dusted them lightly with flour, shaking off the excess . . .

 

I added a knob of butter and some canola oil to a large skillet and heated it just until the butter began to foam, over moderate heat.

 

I threw a few sprigs of fresh thyme into the pan to flavour the butter and then applied the fish fillets, presentation side first. (Presentation side is the side of the fish you will want showing when you plate it up for service.)

 

You want to fry it just until it is golden brown on that side, which should take about 3 minutes, and then carefully flip it over to brown the other side. 

 

That won't take very long either. Two to three minutes maximum.  Remove it from the heat and scoop it onto a serving platter, placing some of the crisp thyme sprigs with it to adorn it and sprinkling it with some chopped fresh parsley.  That's it!

 

You could squeeze fresh lemon on it while it is still in the pan, but I prefer to pass lemon wedges at the table for diners to squeeze onto their individual servings.  This helps to maintain the crisp exterior of having fried it in butter . . .  why bother if you are just going to soggy it up before you serve it?

  

In any case these were beautiful fillets of sole . . .  perfectly cooked and golden brown.  Todd enjoyed his with some roasted baby new potatoes and peas/carrots.  He was in fish heaven.

Sole Fillets with Lemon & Thyme

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Sole is a wonderful fish, which stands out with the simplest preparation. This way its delicate flavour and texture is highlighted to the highest level. In order to keep the coating on the fish crisp for serving, I pass lemon wedges at the table rather than squeeze it over the cooked fish in the pan.

ingredients:

• 4  (6-oz) boneless, skinless sole fillets
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 70g plain flour (1/2 cup)
• 2 TBS butter
• 1 TBS flavourless oil
• several sprigs of fresh thyme
• chopped fresh parsley to sprinkle
• fresh lemon wedges to serve

instructions:

How to cook Sole Fillets with Lemon & Thyme

1. Season your fish fillets on both sides with salt and black pepper.  Dust with flour, patting it in and shaking off any excess.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet, over medium high heat,  until the butter begins to foam.  Add the thyme sprigs.  Place the fish fillets in the pan, presentation side down. Cook for about 3 minutes until golden brown. Carefully turn them over using a fish slice/spatula and brown on the second side, a further 2 to 3 minutes.  Remove from the pan to a heated serving plate.
3. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with wedges of lemon for squeezing over top.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

I enjoyed mine also with some peas and carrots, and a bit of mashed sweet potato.  I do love sweet potatoes.  Oh my but this was some of the best sole I have ever eaten.  I found myself wondering why why don't we eat it more often than we do. It is just excellent excellent fish. Quality speaks for itself.  The Fish Society has all kinds of fish, fish that you normally won't find in the shops. Its like having your own private fish monger on line and on tap!  They have everything from Abalone to Zander and they deliver right to your door in a timely manner.  Shell fish.  Sea food.  All Sashimi grade.  I have never been disappointed, as Todd says, best fish ever.  You can't go wrong. 

  

Read more

Cornmeal Crusted Cod Cheeks

  

Cod Cheeks.  Yep you read that right.  Cod Cheeks.  I adore Cod Cheeks.  To me they are every bit as delicious if not more so than scallops or lobster.  Seriously. If you have never tried them, you have no idea what you are missing. 

  

Fish cheeks are a great delicacy.  A tiny pocket of meat, found just below the eyes,  they are tender and have a wonderful flavour.  Little nuggets of deliciousness.  Most Chef's love them as they are boneless, skinless and have a beautiful texture which lends itself to a variety of cooking methods.

 

My favourite way of cooking them is to coat them in a well flavoured cornmeal crumb and then fry them in hot oil.

 

They take literally just a few minutes to cook and are so tender and delicious when done. 

 

And it is such a simple way to prepare them.  You just mix cornmeal (which is like a fine polenta) together with some simple seasonings . . .  cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. 

 

Don't freak out at the amount of pepper.  Its the perfect amount. Trust me on this.

 

You simply roll the cod cheeks in the cornmeal mixture and then fry.  It only takes 3 to 4 minutes per side for them to be done to perfection. 

 

Perfectly crisp and golden brown on the outside . . .  tender and succulent on the inside.  You can't ask for much better than that. 

 

Bite sized and filled with flavour.  I get mine from The Fish Society.  Their Cod Cheeks are sustainably sourced from Norwegian waters.  

 

Fish from the Fish Society comes straight to your door, with an overnight delivery, and it is beautifully packaged.  It arrives in perfect condition ready to throw right into your own freezer.  All of their fish is frozen shortly after catching and is of a far superior quality than that which you can buy at the shops, which in all likelihood has already been frozen once, thawed and then presented to you on ice.  I have never been disappointed in any fish I have received from them and they have a huge range to choose from.

 

Today I served these lovely cheeks with some chips and homemade coleslaw . . .  just like you would be served in a restaurant back home in Nova Scotia.

 

In the old days, when Cod was plentiful, it would not have been unusual to find Cod Cheeks the size of your fist, but sadly Cod of that size are no longer very common.  They are coming back however, and that is a good thing.  Of all the fishes in the sea, Cod is my favourite.

  

I tried to get a photograph so I could show you how tender and succulent these are inside.  Kind of hard because it is so white, so I guess you will have to take my word for  it.  These bite sized babies are delicious!

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Cornmeal Crusted Cod Cheeks

Cod cheeks are a really delicious part of the cod that is often overlooked. Boneless, skinless and firm, they are meaty and sweet.  Coating them with a spiced cornmeal mixture gives them a crisp exterior whilst protecting all that succulence inside.

ingredients:

• 450g of cod cheeks (1 pound)
• 170g fine cornmeal (1 cup)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 TBS finely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• oil for frying (you want to use a flavourless oil, like canola)

instructions:

How to cook Cornmeal Crusted Cod Cheeks

1. Mix the cornmeal, cayenne, pepper and salt together in a shallow bowl. Take your cod cheeks out of the refrigerator. Remove them from the packaging and roll them in the cornmeal mixture to coat, setting them aside on a plate while you finish coating them all.
2. Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it is hot enough to brown a cube of bread (between 180/190*C or 350/375*F) add the coated cod nuggets,
3. a few at a time. Take care not to crowd the pan, or your oil will cool down too much. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Scoop out to a baking tray lined with paper towelling to drain and keep warm in a slow oven while you cook the rest. Once done serve immediately with your favourite accompaniments. We like chips and coleslaw.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

Down East Coast Coleslaw

Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Crisp and delicious and lightly flavoured with Maple syrup. Don't knock it until you try it.

ingredients:

• 1 white cabbage (about 2 lb in weight), trimmed and cored
• 2 medium carrots, peeled
• 2 sticks celery
• 4 spring onions
• 200g of good quality mayonnaise (scant cup)
• 4 TBS buttermilk
• 2 TBS maple syrup (I used a no sugar sub)
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• salt and black pepper to taste

instructions:

How to cook East Coast Coleslaw

1. Using a sharp knife, shred your cabbage very fine and place into a bowl.  Grate your carrots on the large holes in a box grated and add them to the bowl with the cabbage.  Thinly slice the spring onions and the celery.  Add to the bowl as well. Whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, maple syrup, and seasoning to taste. Pour this over the vegetables in the bowl and toss all together to coat.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

I called this down East Coleslaw because it is lightly sweetened with Maple Syrup.  Because I am a Diabetic I used a no sugar one, which isn't really Maple Syrup, but trust me when I tell you that it is very, very good nonetheless.  Even better with the real thing.

I really hope you want to try Cod Cheeks!  I think you will find that they are really very  wonderful, and highly underrated!  Give cheeks a chance!

Read more

Foil Pack Mediterranean Red Snapper

 

I love using our outdoor grill in the summer months as much as we can. We get such lousy weather the rest of the year, when the sun is shining, I want to make the most of it.  Next Thursday we have all the Missionaries invited over for a BBQ, so it will be dogs and burgers (I hope the sun shines!).  Today we took advantage of the glorious weather and I cooked some fabulous Red Snapper which I had gotten from The Fish Society.

 

It has been at least 20 years since I have had Red Snapper. Its not a fish that I have seen readily available over here in the UK, which is a shame since it is a really beautiful fish, with sweet succulent flesh.  I love it.  I was so excited when I discovered it at The Fish Society! 

 

Todd had never had Red Snapper.  Did you know there are over a hundred species of Snapper?  There are only twenty five that are red.  The Fish Society sources their snapper from Indonesia, and comes flash frozen, descaled and ready to cook!  I knew we were in for a real treat! 

  

Because of the lovely weather we are having I decided to grill it on the BBQ grill. We don't have a fish basket so I did it in foil packets.  Its so easy to cook in foil packets, there is no fuss, no muss and no cleanup!

 

I added some lovely Mediterranean flavours  . . .  with a mix of olives, both black and green . . .  I used pitted Kalamata and Green Halkidiki olives.  Yummy!

 

I added some sliced unwaxed lemons for a bit of an acidic hit.  Lemon and fish go so very well together.  I also added some halved cherry plum tomatoes . . .  you can't get more Mediterranean than using olives, tomatoes and lemons  . . .

 

I tucked in a few torn basil leaves, and sprinkled them with some Italian garlic seasoning and coarse black pepper. You could also sprinkle with salt, but I didn't think with the seasoning mix that we needed any.

 

I also added some sliced Shallots for a bit of sharpness . . . peel them first.  A drizzle of good quality olive oil and we were ready to seal up the packets and go!

 

Make sure when you seal them up you leave some air space in the packets so that the fish can steam and absorb all of those aromatic and delicious Mediterranean flavours!

 

From between 12 and 18 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fish) on the grill and your fish will be perfectly cooked.  Sweet, succulent . . . tender and yes, really delicious!

 

Todd enjoyed his with a baked potato and some green beans!  He really loved the flavour of the fish. Some of the best he has ever eaten!  I concurred! 

  

This was a real taste treat, and oh so healthy as well!  The Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest in the world!

Yield: 4

Author: Marie Rayner

Foil Pack Mediterranean Red Snapper

White succulent sweet fleshed fish cooked in a foil packet on the grill with plenty of Mediterranean flavours.  Deliciously healthy!

ingredients:

• 4 Red Snapper Fillets (each about 3.5 ounces/99g)
• 2 TBS good quality olive oil
• 240g pitted olives (1 cup) (a mix of green and kalamata)
• 2 large unwaxed lemons sliced
• 4 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 150g cherry tomatoes, halved (1 cup)
• torn fresh basil leaves
• 2 tsp Italian garlic seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• fresh basil to garnish (optional)

instructions:

How to cook Foil Pack Mediterranean Red Snapper

1. You will need four large squares of heavy duty aluminium foil. Place one fish fillet in the centre of each. Top each fillet with 1/4 of the olives, lemon slices, shallots and cherry tomatoes. Tear a few basil leaves and scatter over each filled. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, season to taste and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Bring up the foil to cover completely, folding the top together and each side together, to completely seal, leaving some air space over the top of the fish giving it room to steam.
2. Grill over a moderately hot grill for 12 to 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with the tines of a fork. (It all depends on the thickness of your fish. Mine took about 18 minutes, but it was quite thick. Alternately you can bake it in the foil packs on a baking sheet in a hot oven. (200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6) for the same length of time. Serve garnished with some fresh basil if desired. You can serve in the packets if you want, or using a spatula scoop out onto heated plates.
3. I had a salad with mine, Todd had a baked potato and green beans.

Created using The Recipes Generator

 

I enjoyed mine with a salad on the side.  Oh, I would have loved to have a baked potato too  . . .  but I am really trying to be good!  This is a very healthy, Low Carb and Keto Friendly Recipe. Coming in at only 269 calories and a very low carb count (5.9 total) it is also perfect for anyone doing the 800 fast diet.

Fish from the Fish Society comes straight to your door, with an overnight delivery, and it is beautifully packaged.  Ready to throw right into your own freezer.  I highly recommend!  

Read more