When we were on vacation a few weeks ago, we got a phone call from Stacie’s brother, Donnie. Donnie is currently in the military, stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska, and I’m sure you can imagine what kind of adventures one can get into when you’re in Alaska. This particular weekend, he went fishing and managed to catch some halibut. Thirty pounds of it.
Donnie wasn’t sure what to do with it, so he did the first thing that came to his mind–he shipped it home to his parents. Which was funny, because it’s really just his parents at home, with the occasional kid popping in for the weekend–hardly the crowd to feed thirty pounds of fish to! But, that’s okay, because Stacie and I benefited from two pounds of this easy to cook fish.
I made the first pound on Thursday, and it was definitely a treat. What’s great about halibut is its versatility and its mild flavor. I paired it with some crushed almonds, pan fried it, and served it along side some garlic and shallot snow peas.
Ingredients
- 1 pound of halibut, cut into two pieces
- 1/2 cup crushed almonds
- 1/2 cup of flour or plain breadcrumbs
- salt & pepper
- vegetable oil
Directions
- Generously season the fish with salt and pepper.
- Combine the flour and the almonds, then dredge the fish in the mixture.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet, over medium heat and add the fish.
- Cook the fish for 5-7 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked through. Serve immediately.
To make the garlic and shallot snow peas, simply heat some olive oil over medium heat in a skillet, and add a clove of chopped garlic and a chopped shallot. Cook until both are translucent, but not caramelized. Add the snow peas, and cook until heated through–but not too much, because you still want them crunchy.
That’s it–easy, simple, and great for tonight’s supper!
As you read this, I’m probably on my way to a fish fry in our home town. You see, one of the things I love dearly about being Catholic during Lent is the wonderful thing that are fish fries. During an otherwise solemn time during the church year, this is an opportunity to develop community, eat some good food (staying within the abstention guidelines, of course), and raising money for a good cause. The particular fish fry we go to has an assortment of food, not just fried cod sandwiches–cheese pizza and grilled cheese for the kids, and baked/fried/broiled fish and crab cakes or bisque for the adults.
Which, all this talk, got me thinking about the next Fish Fry-day. I’ve pledged to share with you easy, inexpensive ways to prepare fish during Lent. Of course, you can use them whenever you feel the calling for seafood, but they are particularly timely now, if you practice this discipline. I wrote about Everyday Food earlier this week, and there is a delightful preparation for baked cod, right inside the book. I just had to try it out and share it with you.
Cod with Leeks and Tomatoes
From Everyday Food: Great Food Fast page 61
Ingredients
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly slicked, rinsed well, and patted dry
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
- 2 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (about 12 ounces)
- 4 cod fillets, each 6 to 8 ounces and 3/4 to 1 inch thick
Procedure
Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together the leeks, lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cover with foil, and bake until the leeks just begin to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.- Remove the baking dish from the oven. Add the tomatoes, and toss to combine. Season both sides of the cod fillets with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; place on top of the vegetables.
- Cover the dish and bake until the fish is opaque throughout, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Unfortunately, I live in the middle of south-central Indiana, and it’s the middle of winter. So, I didn’t have any leeks available (and I did try to find them!). Instead, I used a whole red onion, sliced into thin rings. Everything else was the same–delish! You could serve this with a nice salad; there are enough pan juices that you can whisk in some olive oil and have a dressing that matched your main dish. Yum!
On this Frugal Friday, I’m mindful that it’s currently the first Friday in Lent, which means that many people aren’t eating meat. Fish is still permissible, and I’ve heard horror stories of how people, growing up, were forced to eat tuna casserole every Friday. I promise, I’m not going to do that (unless it’s tasty!).
I thought, for this Frugal Friday, I’d introduce a segment called “Fish Fry-day,” (Quiet! I can hear you groaning! It’s punny!) where, for the next six weeks, I’ll look at simple, inexpensive ways to prepare seafood during this Lenten season.
Tonight, Stacie and I are going to be very simple. We LOVE salmon; it’s perhaps one of our favorite fish. The preparation is extremely simple: Preheat the oven to 425. Place some cut vegetables on a baking sheet, drizzle with a bit of oil, and lightly season (salt and pepper). roast for 25-35 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to caramelize. You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand or whatever you like roasted–I might try some cauliflower tonight, or maybe I’ll go with some squash and peppers. We’ll see what strikes me at the grocery tonight.
Near the end of the process, heat about a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of a salmon fillet (or two) with salt and pepper and place into the skillet, skin side down if necessary. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, until the salmon has reached it’s desired done-ness.You can use less oil–I’m just trying to use enough to get some nice color on the fish, since I have non-stick cookware.
That’s it! Simple as pie.
Photo courtesy of reesie.
