Mustard-roasted fish with confetti corn and roasted asparagus.
Jessica Webster | AnnArbor.com
Growing up, I was an avowed fish hater. It tasted "fishy." With the benefit of hindsight, it's not terribly surprising. Many of my early fish experiences happened in The Netherlands, where I visited as a young child and lived as a teenager. The Dutch have a fondness for
raw herring. They pick it up by the tail and let it kind of slide down their throats.
Shudder. It wasn't an especially appetizing introduction to seafood.
It has only been in the past decade that I've become more adventurous with fish. You'll find me out eating sushi with some regularity, and I will rave about
West End Grill's Chilean Sea Bass until the cows come home. But I've never been comfortable enough with fish to cook it at home until very recently.
The Dutch tradition of swallowing raw herring whole may be at the of root my childhood aversion to fish.
Photo by Flickr user mariekabrouwer
This recipe came to me from my friend Jenny Barcelata, who has an impressive collection of cookbooks and cooks all types of food with a gusto that I've always admired. Jenny found it in Food Network Star
Ina Garten's "Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics" cookbook. It's ridiculously easy, even for a seafood novice like me.
Ina Garten's recipe calls for "fish fillets such as red snapper." To me, this means: "I must find red snapper fillets because I have no idea what else might be 'like red snapper.'" But after striking out at a couple of grocery stores, I put myself in the hands of the Whole Foods fishmonger, who recommended
Pacific rockfish as a suitable substitution.
The mustard roasted fish was a hit in my household. I've even been informed that the leftovers heat up well in the toaster oven. I'm building up my fish confidence. If you've got a fish recipe that you think I can tackle, post it below or email it to
JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.
The Barefoot Contessa's Mustard-Roasted Fish
Ingredients
4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 teaspoons drained capers
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.)
Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.
3. Combine the creme fraiche, the mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
4. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered.
5. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it's barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it's done.) Be sure not to overcook it!
6. Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.
Jessica Webster loves to cook and leads the Food & Drink section for the AnnArbor.com community team. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.
Comments
lwmonahan
Fri, Jul 2, 2010 : 10:57 a.m.
Jessica- you mentioned going to a couple of grocery stores to find red snapper, why didn't you try Monahan's Seafood Mkt.? A great local source for seafood and lots of recipes. Mike has been in the business for 30+ years and knows his fish. Our website is loaded with recipes and Mike always has good tips on preparing seafood. Here's a great snapper veracruz recipe you should try. http://www.monahansseafood.com/recipes/2010/04/whole-snapper-vera-cruz/
Jennifer Shikes Haines
Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 4:44 p.m.
This is very similar to a recipe my mom used to make with bluefish. She used a combination of mustard and mayonnaise, though, keeping the fish moist. If you ever need fish questions answered - just check in with Mike Monahan - he'll always have a great solution for substitutions, etc. He also has a great collection of recipes. I just got shrimp burgers from the shrimp farmer at the Westside Farmers Market - chef Alex was cooking some up for a sample and they were out of this world! Enjoy your forays into seafood - I'll see what recipes I can dig up for you.
interested
Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 10:33 a.m.
Plum Market often offers Red Snapper. It they don't have it fresh, you can often find it frozen. I have a nice Red Snapper recipe that involves making fresh salsa and placing it on top of baked Snapper - yum yum. I am generally new at cooking - need a cookbook for most things I make. I am not quite one who can whip something up with what I have in my pantry. Thanks for a nice sounding recipe that I may even try tonight.
Dan
Thu, Jul 1, 2010 : 9:29 a.m.
This sounds like a delicious recipe! I bet it would be good on a fillet of U.S. farmed rainbow trout or wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Unfortunately, red snapper is a bad choice if you're trying to eat seafood that wont be gone in a few years from overfishing (as well as the Chilean sea bass aka Patagonian toothfish that you mention). If you want to pursue more fish recipes in the future, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium's seafood guide: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx I find their pocket guide really helpful: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_MidwestGuide.pdf