Day 28: Surprising and Delicious Fish Dishes

First things first: how to tell if fish is fresh!

• It’s eyes should be clear, not cloudy or murky
• It’s flesh should be firm, not soft
• Anywhere there is blood (in the gills/ inside the belly) should be red! If it is dark or brown, it means the blood got really oxidized

Also, when working with fish it’s important to stay as clean as possible - you should keep flesh to flesh and skin to skin. For example, if you put the fish on the cutting board skin side down, don’t put the flesh down following that - use a clean board. The outside of the fish is what houses any bacteria / dirt, and you don’t want to contaminate the nice filet you have!In this class, we made two dishes that I did not have high expectations for. The first one was with tomatoes, mushrooms and white wine, and the second had tomatoes and pickled mustard greens. ??????? Tomatoes with fish? Mushrooms with fish? Pickled mustard greens with fish? Not my typical pairing, that’s for sure.  Somehow though, it was all entirely delicious. Before this, I had never really thought that tomatoes/ mushrooms would go well with fish - they have so much savory umami flavor, they’re typically cooked with richer things. But in this dish, they totally worked. There was so much umami flavor, but the white wine somehow both rounded it out and gave it even more depth, while also holding onto some of that more familiar flavor profile. It was also such a treat to eat something that tasted fairly rich, but also light at the same time! My stomach was confused and happy. The second dish was almost more of a surprise - none of us had ever cooked with pickled mustard greens before. On their own, they’re a pretty odd flavor and texture - almost rubbery.  But this dish ended up being an explosion of flavor in your mouth. I would totally make both of these dishes again. You can buy pickled mustard greens on amazon! 

Fish with Tomatoes and Mushrooms

Serves 2:

Ingredients:

• 2 6 oz boneless filet of firm-fleshed fish (halibut, sea bass, rock cod)
• Salt and pepper
• 3-4 tbsp butter
• 6 shiitake mushrooms
• 2 tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup white wine
• 1 tbsp chopped chives

Method:

1. Julienne the mushroom caps and saute in your butter. Add a small handful of your diced tomatoes and saute for another minute. Push to the side of the pan to make room for your fish.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Add your white wine, cover the pan, and steam the fish over medium heat until just done (4-5 minutes). Remove the fish and keep warm
3. Reduce the sauce over high heat, adding another tablespoon or two of butter. Pour over fish and garnish with chopped chives. Serve over steamed rice

   

Fish with Tomatoes and Pickled Mustard Greens

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 6 oz boneless filet of firm-fleshed fish (halibut, sea bass, rock cod)
• Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup all purpose flour
• 4 tbsp canola oil
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings
• 8 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 serrano chillies, stemmed and crushed
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 tomatoes, cored and quartered
• ¾ cup coarsely chopped pickled mustard greens
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp fish sauce
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method:

1. Season the fish with salt and pepper, and then dust both sides with flour, dusting off any excess
2. In a big nonstick pan, heat 3 tbsp of the oil over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the fish and cook until well browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the second side for 5 minutes more. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, reserving the pan
3. Heat remaining oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and scallions and cook, stirring, until softened.
4. Add the garlic and chiles and cook until fragrant but not browned, about 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften and release their juices
5. Add the  mustard greens, stir to combine and then add the stock
6. Gently slide the fish back to the pan, increase the heat to medium high and cook, basting the fish continuously with the hot liquid, for about 5-8 minutes more until the fish is just cooked through.
7. When the fish is cooked, stir in the fish sauce, transfer to a serving platter and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately! Delicious over rice.