Forays Into Fish November 17, 2010

In our house, Tuesday is Fish Night.  Now before you go thinking I’m all kinds of crazy about designating “nights,” I must explain that Tuesday is Fish Night for only one reason… Wednesday morning is when our garbage is picked up.  So because I’m all about not pulling into the garage and being smacked in the face by the smell of decayed sea creatures, Tuesday is Fish Night.  And all is right in the world.

 I just started this routine this summer, so we are definitely still in the experimental phase of trying fish.  To my credit, I started the family off slow.

So unhealthy, yet so good!

The fam devoured them in one sitting.  Even the baby L-O-V-E-D her some fish!  I’m now a pro at baking frozen fish filets.  (REALLY OBVIOUS BUT HELPFUL) TIP – You MUST turn them halfway through cooking and they should be cooked on a cooling rack sitting on a baking sheet.  Yum, yum! 

Not to my credit, I then zipped us right to the front of the experimental line and started making fresh sole filets – sometimes breaded, sometimes poached in butter.  Hubby really liked the breaded sole, but it is such a ridiculously delicate fish to bread and pan fry.  ANOTHER REALLY OBVIOUS BUT HELPFUL TIP – Sole, being as flaky as it is, should really just be broiled very, very quickly… like for a minute to three minutes depending on the thickness of your cut.

So I’ve been feeling pretty confident and happy with our forays into fish, until…

We, as a family, went into Whole Foods.

We walked by the seafood department which, of course, my son has a morbid fascination with.  He’ll race to that section of the store and stare a dead fish right in the eye until we literally drag him away.  Yes, it’s admittedly weird, but judge me not.  At least he’s quiet and happy.  In fact, my cure-all for a cranky kid on the verge of a meltdown in any grocery store is the seafood department.  And I’m not ashamed to admit it.  (Note:  Since WalMart Superstores no longer have a seafood department, the deli with all its free samples works just as well.  Jus’ sayin’.)

So we’re standing there looking at all the displays of beautiful fish when Hubby spies a pre-breaded halibut steak.

“Maybe you should get that next time.”

I was shocked.  “What?”

“Maybe you should get that the next time we have fish.”

“Is my sole not good?”

“No.  I’m just saying the halibut that’s already been breaded looks good.”

I stammered.  “But, but, but… that’s CHEATING!” I cried.

Let’s just stop here.  Okay, yes, I realize I’m being ridiculous. But buying fresh fish that is already breaded is cheating!  You mean to tell me you don’t have five minutes to bread your own fish?  (Gordon’s frozen fish filets are excluded from this argument because there is simply no possible way to get that kind of yummy, crispy, thick coating on a fish by means of anything a reasonable person would have in their kitchen.  Therefore, ergo, that kind of cheating is okay – pretty much because it tastes so freakin’ good.  And because I say so.)

It took me over a week to mentally get over that hurdle and finally go buy the damn breaded halibut. 

Which I did. 

Yesterday. 

Pan seared, then baked  = delish!

I’ve already got my eye on the stuffed salmon for next Tuesday…

Advertisement