Fresh Idaho trout fillets are seasoned with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, then seared over high heat in sweet butter and sesame oil until crisp around the edges. The pan is then de-glazed with white wine and reduced with shallots, fresh lemon and chopped parsley. Enoki mushrooms are sautéed with leek flowers, dried citrus peel, garlic, coriander and sesame seeds..
Pan-Fried Trout with Sesame, Lemon, Shallots, Enoki and Leek Flowers
Thick-cut wild Alaskan halibut with a light coating of homemade coarse mustard and a persillade of chopped parsley and bread crumbs..
Wild Halibut en Persillade
Serves 2 (adapted from a recipe by Thomas Keller)
2 6-oz fillets fresh Wild Alaskan Halibut
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
1 teaspoon parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon homemade coarse mustard
1 teaspoon filtered water
pastured butter
sea salt and freshly-ground pepper
Trim crusts from bread and pulse in a food processor. Bake bread crumbs in a 250 degree oven, tossing occasionally until completely dry, about 1 hour. Toss with finely chopped parsley and set aside.
Rinse fish fillets and pat dry. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Brush one side of each fillet with a thin coating of thinned mustard, then dip the mustard side of the fish into the bread crumbs, pressing lightly to form an even coating.
Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat, then place the fillets crumb side down into the pan and cook until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Carefully turn fish over, then place pan into a 350 degree oven just until the fish begins to flake, about 6-8 minutes.
Arrange fish on a plate, then drizzle with a little of the browned butter from the skillet and give it a squeeze of fresh lemon. Delicious with Nantes Carrot Stew on the side.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays!
A slightly different take on a classic dish, these Potatoes Gratiné forgo the usual cheese and cream in favour of bacon, onions and fresh tri-color sage..
Potatoes Gratiné
Serves 2-3 as a side dish
approx. 18-20 fingerling potatoes, quartered
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 pound un-cured bacon or fresh pork belly, diced
1 small bunch tri-color sage (Salvia officinalis Tricolor)
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground smoked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
2 pieces of stale bread
1 tablespoon pastured butter
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Sauté bacon or pork belly in a heavy skillet until about half cooked, then add potatoes. Cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are golden brown and tender and the bacon is nearly crisp. Add onions, garlic and sage and cook until onions are translucent. Pour of excess fat then season potatoes to taste with sea salt and smoked pepper. Transfer to a small casserole and set aside.
Cut or tear stale bread into small pieces and combine with chopped parsley and melted butter. Scatter the gratin over the top of the potatoes then place the casserole 8 inches under the broiler until toasted.
Wild Alaskan salmon is marinated in genmaicha-infused olive oil before being slow-roasted and served with a pan sauce of caramelized lemons, shallots, garlic, capers, parsley and butter..
Slow-Roasted Wild Salmon with Genmaicha 玄米茶, Fried Capers and Caramelized Lemon
For the Salmon
2 wild Alaskan fillets
6 oz extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons genmaicha brown rice tea
1 teaspoon paprika
coarse sea salt and freshly-ground pepper
Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until it reaches 185 degrees. Remove pan from heat and stir in genmaicha. Allow to steep until the oil reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes. Pour cooled oil over salmon set in a shallow dish and marinate 1 hour.
Remove salmon from oil, drain briefly and place in a heavy skillet (skin side down) and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Roast in a 225 degree oven until it is brilliant red and flakes easily with a fork, about 12 minutes.
For the Sauce (adapted from a recipe by Michael Symon)
2 tablespoons pastured butter, divided
4 thick slices lemon
1 teaspoon capers
1 1/2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
Heat half of the butter in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat until the bitter begins to foam. Add the lemon slices and cook until they begin to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Flip the lemons over, add the capers and sauté 30 seconds. Add the shallots and sauté another 30 seconds. Add the garlic, parsley and the remaining butter and cook until the lemons begin to lose their shape, about 1-2 minutes.
To Serve
Spoon sauce in the center of a plate. Place roasted salmon on top and garnish with lemon slices. Serve immediately.
Étouffée is a Cajun/Creole dish of crawfish, crab or shrimp smothered in a roux-thickened sauce of celery, onions and bell peppers with garlic, spices and a little sherry. In New Orleans, étouffée is commonly served with jasmine or basmati rice..
Crawfish Étouffée
(recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse and others)
Serves 2
1/2 stick unsalted, pastured butter
1 tablespoon organic, all-purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped yellow onions
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 cup diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 1/2 cups shrimp stock* (shrimp shells, water, celery, onion, bay, thyme, lemon)
12 oz crawfish tails
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Melt the butter in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until it begins to brown. Add flour and whisk to combine. Continue to cook and stir continuously until the roux takes on a dark, brown-red color.
Add the celery, onions and bell peppers (called the holy trinity of Cajun cooking) and cook for 5 minutes.
Add garlic, green onions, tomatoes, Worcestershire, bay, thyme, cayenne and cracked pepper and stir to combine.
Add shrimp stock (or water), sherry and crawfish tails, bring to a boil then reduce to low heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Add fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley, taste for salt and adjust accordingly.
Serve over rice and garnish with lemon wedges and very finely minced green onion, bell pepper, celery and parsley. Offer Louisiana hot sauce.
* Mineral-rich shrimp is high in healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, Vitamin B12 and niacin. Use some of the shrimp stock to cook the rice; it helps to make it more digestible.
Sometimes described as metallic or overly strong tasting, mushy or tough or simply uninteresting, beef liver has gotten a bad rap over the years. It doesn’t have to be that way..
Liver and Onions with Bacon and Sage
click to enlarge
Pastured beef liver fried with bacon, just-dug onions, brown mushrooms and fresh sage leaves brings this inexpensive, nutritional powerhouse back to the dinner table. Even the kids will dig it.
Select only the freshest, pastured beef liver, never the frozen feed-lot stuff from the supermarket. Cut into 1/2 strips and lightly dredge in sprouted flour seasoned with sea salt and cracked pepper. Set aside.
Fry uncured, pastured bacon until crisp and all the fat has rendered out.
Add sliced onions and continue to cook until well browned.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon grease and reserve for another use.
Add 2 tablespoons pastured butter to the hot pan and swirl to combine with the remaining bacon fat.
Add sliced brown mushrooms (I like the dark, earthy-flavored varieties) and sauté until they begin to crisp on the edges.
Make sure that the skillet is still good and hot, then add strips of floured liver and coarsely chopped fresh sage and flat-leaf parsley. Cook until well browned, turn and brown on the other side.
Arrange on a plate, drizzle with pan juices and enjoy.
Pan-fried beef liver is a good source of Iron and Zinc, and a very good source of Protein (approx. 22g per 4oz), Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Vitamin B12, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Copper and Selenium.
This post is part of the Pennywise Platter at The Nourishing Gourmet
Fennel, Italian peppers, San Marzano tomatoes, garlic and green onions all grilled together with olive oil, sea salt, cracked pepper, Italian parsley, lemon and fresh oregano. Served over mother-in-law’s tongue pasta and topped with shaved Grana Padano cheese.
click to enlarge
A mild, tender, rich and savory dish prepared in a classical French meets modern shortcuts manner.
Start with very fresh slices of peeled and deveined calves’ liver obtained from a healthy animal of known origin. True calves’ liver is paler in color and milder in taste than the much redder baby beef liver typically found in US supermarkets. If using the latter, it often helps to soak the slices in fresh, whole milk for up to 2 hours to lessen the strong flavor.
“Calf’s liver is less likely to have the accumulations of toxins such as pesticides, hormones and antibiotics found in the liver of older animals. Selecting organic calf’s liver provides the greatest assurance that the liver is free of these toxins. Calf’s liver also is more tender and has better flavor than beef liver (including baby beef liver).”
For the sauce, gather mushrooms, green peppercorns, vinegar, tomato paste, onion, celery, carrot, parsley, butter, lemon, stock and (optionally) demi-glace.
Sauté the mirepoix in butter until well colored, about 10 minutes. Add a good spoonful of tomato paste and continue to cook until all moisture is evaporated and the tomato begins to brown. Moisten with a splash of vinegar and a little sherry and stir to combine.
Add stock and a mashed clove of garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until reduced in volume by half, about 45 minutes. Strain into a clean saucepan and add demi-glace. Simmer until thickened and shiny, about 20 minutes.
Sauté thinly sliced mushrooms and onions in very hot butter until brown and slightly crisp. Add to the pan with the brown sauce.
Pat the liver dry and lightly dredge in unbleached flour. Sauté quickly in a generous amount very hot butter, turning only once. Add chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor before saucing.
A big thanks to my son-in-law Jeff, whose amazingly delicious liver & onions revived my interest in this classic dish!
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