Thursday, November 14, 2013

Catch

As I alluded to in yesterday's 12 of 12, today would be a food / cooking segment. I actually just typed 'fool', and almost left it.....as it wouldn't be too far off, in any regard.

So, I was picking up provisions for part of the week and looking for a dinner idea. Fish seemed to be in order, so I headed and talked with my fish monger.

You know, Sara Moulton always says to get to know your fish monger, and to be fair, she is correct.

Of all the folks at the grocery store, I never get any, let alone good, advice from the produce manager or butcher.  But the fish guy (and it always seems to be a 'guy'), is always helpful, no matter what store I might be patronizing.

Yesterday was no exception.

While Mr. Monger didn't really steer me too or away from any particular fish, we talked about certain freshness aspects, things that are easier to cook (remember, our great stove / oven has no built in broiler, so options can be limited to certain dishes).

I went with cod. I don't remember how much - but it looks like more than for two people. But it turned out to be just right (though a tiny part was left over). The fish monger (I probably should get his name) suggested doing a multi-season coating and then topping the fish with Gruyère.

Interesting. At least interesting enough to try.

And easy. As you can see all the ingredients I used. And can I tell you how many grocery stores do not display lemons at the fish counter? Ours does, and it's always great, as I don't have to trek back to produce.  It really is the little things.


The seasoning is one anyone can find in some form: paprika, garlic, onion, chili, etc. The problem became I wasn't sure how much to use. With my first bite I knew I had used too much, so cut back to about half of what you see here.

Then you top with the Gruyère, in a lightly sprayed dish


..and bake for 15-20 minutes, uncovered.

You might want to go easier on the cheese as well, as it is salty. Knowing this, I did not salt the fish at all. And perhaps it would be ok with this amount of cheese but less seasoning. The combo was a little overwhelming.


The dish presented nicely - if I say so myself.

I would definitely try this again, with some adjustments, but you can see the prep time was nothing. The cook time was next to nothing and clean up was one pan.

We like fish - I'm just always looking for ways to make it more exciting.



Song by:  the Cure

4 comments:

anne marie in philly said...

panko bread crumbs and parm cheese. or indian tikka masala sauce. or teriyake sauce.

just some of the ideas I've used on fish.

dith said...

Top Chef lore says never pair fish with cheese. Never. Ever.

Unknown said...

I agree with Anne- breadcrumbs, parmesan, and good olive oil to bind it together. Preferably freshly grated parmesan, not the stuff you shake out of a tub.

iain

Erik Rubright said...

You should be on "Chopped". ;-)