Article by Christine Budd
Pan-Fried Black Drum with Pecan Sauce
INGREDIENTS
2 black drum fillets
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup olive oil
Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. champagne vinegar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 TBSP parsley, finely minced
DIRECTIONS
Rinse the fillets and pat them dry.
In a small mixing bowl or shallow dish, whisk together the milk, egg, mustard, kosher salt and cayenne pepper.
Spread the cup of flour on a shallow dish or dinner plate.
First, dredge the fish in the flour, then into the egg/milk mix and then back into the flour. Lay fillets in a single layer on a flat surface like a plate or baking sheet.
Allow the battered fish fillets to sit while making the sauce.
Start by melting butter in a large, wide skillet over low heat.
Continue cooking for about 6-7 minutes, until butter is golden brown and milk fat solids have browned lightly as well.
Add pecans and cook for about one minute, until they are shiny and slightly toasted in the butter. The butter will be foamy at this stage. Remove from heat.
Whisk in the kosher salt, champagne vinegar and lemon juice. Set aside.
Add the olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
When the oil starts to shimmer, add the fillets.
Cook about 2 minutes per side. Don’t overcook the fish, because it will dry out.
Set fish fillets on plate.
Whisk the parsley into the sauce and then divide it between the two fish pieces.
Serves 4.
Creole Black Drum
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs. black drum fillets
3 fresh tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 TBSP. fresh lemon juice
Cayenne pepper, to taste
3 TBSP. Butter
Olive oil
DIRECTIONS
Melt butter in a small saucepan; set aside.
Coat large baking dish with olive oil.
Lay fillets over oil; top with the fish fillets and rest of the ingredients.
Pour reserved butter over all.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve with wild rice.
Serves 4 or 5
Browned Butter Honey Garlic Shrimp
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice, (or juice of half a lemon)
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
21- ounces (600 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined (tail on or off)
Salt to season
Lemon wedges, (to serve)
Fresh chopped parsley, to serve
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat butter in a non stick pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Melt, swirling pan and stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes, or until the foam settles; the butter begins to change in color to golden brown and has a nutty fragrance.
Add the honey, lemon juice, soy sauce and garlic; stir well to combine all of the flavors together and cook for 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Remove from heat.
Pour out just over half of the browned butter from the pan (liquid only), leaving 2 tablespoons of the honey butter mixture in the pan, and reserve the rest for later.
Add half of the shrimp to the honey/butter in the pan; sear for about 2 minutes each side, or until just cooked through and no longer opaque. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
Wipe pan over with paper towel and add 2 more tablespoons of the honey/butter mixture to the pan. (You may need to add 1 teaspoon of olive oil or extra butter to the pan if your sauce has thickened too much.) Sear the remaining shrimp for 2 minutes each side, or until just cooked through and no longer opaque.
Add the cooked shrimp back into the pan, and pour in the remaining honey/butter sauce; stirring through the shrimp to evenly coat. Season with salt and pepper if desired and garnish with parsley.
Serve with steamed vegetables; over rice or with a salad
Baked Flounder with Panko and Parmesan
Ingredients
4 (4 ounce) flounder fillets
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch dried thyme
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a large, shallow baking dish.
Arrange flounder fillets on prepared baking dish and brush with 1 tablespoon butter.
Combine remaining 3
tablespoons butter with bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and thyme in a bowl; sprinkle over flounder.
Bake in preheated oven until fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully transfer fillets to a plate with a spatula.
Baked Flounder with Savory Crumb Topping
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 flounder fillets
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
For Parmesan Cheese Fillets:
3/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs instead
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
For Sesame Seed Fillets
3/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a 10-inch skillet, toast bread crumbs over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in parsley.
Pour wine into 13x9-inch baking dish.
Add flounder fillets, turning to coat.
In a baking dish, arrange fillets, skinned side up, tucking thin ends under.
Sprinkle with salt and spread mayonnaise on top.
Gently pat bread crumb mixture over mayonnaise.
Bake until fish is just opaque throughout and topping has crisped, about 10 minutes.
To make Parmesan Cheese Fillets:
Prepare as directed above but use only 2/3 cup plain dried bread crumbs and add 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese to bread-crumb mixture.
To make Sesame Seed Fillets:
Prepare as directed above but use only 3/4 cup plain dried bread crumbs and add 1/4 cup sesame seeds to bread-crumb mixture.
Rockfish Fillets
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs Rockfish fillets
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms
1/2 cup blanched almonds
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 TBS chopped parsley
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place fillets in a buttered pan, and season with salt and pepper.
Chop or slice mushrooms thin, and sprinkle them with lemon juice. Chop blanched almonds.
Make a mixture of the softened butter, mushrooms with lemon, almonds and parsley; season with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. Add the white wine to the pan. Spread butter mixture evenly and rather thickly over fillets. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 minutes per inch of thickness of fish.
Serves 4 to 6.
Striped Bass with Lemon Butter & Sage
INGREDIENTS
2 striped bass fillets
4 TBSP butter
Old Bay Seasoning
1 lemon, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste
Sage, optional
DIRECTIONS
Melt the butter in a casserole dish under the broiler.
Sprinkle the striper fillets lightly with Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper.
Transfer fillets to the casserole dish.
Return the dish to the oven and broil the fillets for 6-8 minutes, rotating halfway through.
Remove from the oven and baste with the melted butter.
Place the lemon slices on top and sprinkle with sliced sage, if desired.
Return to the oven long enough to char the lemon.
Garnish with sage and serve hot.
