Fish Stories

Fish is a great addition to any diet. Low in calories, fat and cholesterol, it is a good source of protein, calcium and b-vitamins. Because it lives in a weightless universe where fast retreating is needed for survival, it has muscles made of fast contracting fiber and hardly any hard connective tissue. All of which means it cooks fast, is tender and, in its fillet form, has hardly any bone. If you feel daring, want to bake a whole fish and trust your eyes to spot the bones, start with a hot oven (425F or 218C) and measure the height of your fish at the thickest point. Count 7 to 10 minutes per inch (3 cm) of thickness.
The following three recipes, calibrated for 4 people, play on a variation of three traditional cooking methods: poaching, steaming and frying. In the first two cases, the twist comes from the fact that the sauce is cooked at the same time as the fish and requires very little additional attention. The last, breaded fillet is lighter than traditional fish and chips.

Poached Fillets Vietnamese style (Easy, Cooking and preparation time: 20 minutes, A little expensive)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons (57 gm) sugar
2 tablespoons (24 ml) water
1 teaspoon of sesame oil
1 clove garlic minced
1 shallot minced
1-inch piece ginger peeled and grated
1 small Thai chili
1 stem lemon grass minced
1 tablespoon (12 ml) of fish sauce
¼ cup soy sauce (57 ml)
4 4-oz (113 gm each) fillets of firm and thick white fish (cod, sea bass or striped sea bass for example)

Material:
1 4-quart saucepan
1 frying pan
Set of tongs

Combine the 4 tablespoons of sugar with the two tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar melts. Bring to a boil until it turns and smells like caramel. Stir in ¼ cup of water until blended quickly. Remove from the gaz and set aside.
Pour the sesame oil in the frying pan and set over medium heat heat. Stir-fry the minced garlic, shallot, lemon grass, ginger and chili. Stir in the fish sauce, soy sauce, reserved caramel and 1cup water. Bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Lower the gas.
Cook the fish for 10 minutes at a very low boil, turning it over at mid point.

Serve with rice and a steamed vegetable such as broccoli, spooning the sauce over all three elements.

Steamed fish baked in parchment paper with French beurre blanc sauce (Easy, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 10 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
8 scallions, white part sliced
4 tablespoons (57 gm) dill leaves washed and minced
4 tilapia fillets or flounder
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons (28 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons (57 gm) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons (42 ml) olive oil
¼ cup (57 ml) soy sauce

Material:
Salad bowl
Parchment paper
Baking sheet

Set the oven at 450F (232C).

Divide the parchment paper in 4 squares sufficiently large to wrap around the fillets.
In a salad bowl, whisk in the sesame oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, grated lemon zest, and dill.
Lay each fillet in the center of the parchment paper, sprinkle the sliced scallions, pour a spoonful of sauce and top with a tablespoon of butter. Form four similar little fish packages.
Place the packets on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Unwrap carefully not to spill the sauce and serve with a purée.

Breaded Fillets (Easy, Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking time: 6 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
¼ (57 ml) cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons (28 ml) butter
1 egg beaten
Breadcrumbs
Flour
Salt and pepper
4 flounder fillets or skate fillets

Red wine sauce
1 tablespoon (14 gm) of butter
2 shallots or 1 onion minced thinly
3 tablespoons (42 ml) balsamic vinegar
1 cup (237 ml) red wine

Material:
1 plate
1 soup dish
1 cutting board
1 saucepan
1 frying pan
1 protective screen cover for the frying pan

Pour the flour in a plate. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Crack and beat the egg in a soup dish. Lay the breadcrumbs on the cutting board. Lay a flounder fillet on the flour plate and flip it over. Dip completely the floured fillet in the egg dish. Lay the egged fillet on the cutting board, first on one side then on the other. Repeat with the other fillets.
Put the saucepan over the medium range of the gas. Add the butter. When it is melted, add the minced shallots. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, add the balsamic vinegar and wine and reduce until you are left with 1/3 of the liquid about 15 minutes.
Pour the butter and vegetable oil in the frying pan and wait until one crumb thrown in the frying pan sizzle. Use the protective screen cover if needed. Sauté the fillets of fish 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with the sauce on top and Michel’s sautéed potatoes (recipe follows).
The addition of oil to the butter will preserve the butter taste but prevent the smoking that happens at temperature of around 250F (121C). That is because the smoking point of fresh cooking vegetable oil is higher, ranging from 350F to over 450F(176C to 232C). Deep-frying occurs at 350F to 375F(176C to 190C).
Michel’s sautéed potatoes (Easy, Preparation time: 10 minutes, Cooking time: 20 minutes, Cheap)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon (14 gm) of butter
1 tablespoon (14 ml) of oil
1 Idaho potato per person
1 onion per 4 people
1 garlic clove
Bunch of parsley
Salt to taste

Material
Paring knife and board
Peeler
Colander
Kitchen towel
Frying pan
Protective screen cover for the frying pan
Wooden spoon

Peel the potatoes and slice them thin. Wash them in water. Dry in a kitchen towel. Peel and slice the onion and garlic clove. Wash and dry the parsley. Keep only the leaves.
Pour the oil and butter in the frying pan and melt over the high setting of the gas stove for one minute. Use the protective screen cover to prevent oil projections. Add the potatoes in one layer. When one side is browned, turn over to the other side. At the very end, add the onion, garlic and parsley.
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