Something’s fishy

 

An embarrassingly amateurish photo
of filet of sole with asparagus

My family recently announced that they were ready to widen their menu horizons with the addition of some fish other than salmon, which we love and eat often. They mentioned halibut, which is expensive, and I’ve never successfully cooked. I think I have an awful memory of my mother poaching halibut in milk, but then, she would have been first to tell you she was not a good fish cook.

Tilapia is popular, but I will not cook it—and I am surprised to see it on upscale restaurant menus, where I feel the owner/chef should know better. Plain and simple: tilapia is bad for you. Because it is bottom-feeder and will eat any refuse, it causes inflammation and is particularly dangerous for patients with any of the auto-immune diseases, which seem to be more common every day. Tilapia is generally farm-raised, contains more toxic chemicals, is fed a synthetic diet, sometimes artificially colored.

A filet of sole is one of my favorite fish—mild with a delicate flavor. But it is also fragile. I’ve sauteed it for the family, trying for a nice crust, and more often than not ended with fish hash. So they said, “No more.” But one night recently it was to be dinner on your own, so I got a half pound of sole. About the same time, I saw a recipe for parmesan-crusted, lemon pepper tilapia. Great, I could just substitute sole. But the more I thought about it, the less appealing that recipe was. I don’t use lemon pepper—plain salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon for me, thank you. Lemon pepper, again, is full of preservatives and things I don’t want to know about. And the idea of pressing parmesan into that delicate fish was challenging.

Two things I took away from the recipe: Bake the fish rather than sautéing it, and spread with a thin layer of mayonnaise to keep the fish moist and fix the parmesan to it. I decided against the mayo because I like the flavor of sole so much (but I will try the mayo trick with cod, and I hear it works on pork chops). So here’s what I did;

Baked filet of sole

Sole filets, about 1/3 lb. per person

Salt and pepper

Buttered panko or other breadcrumbs

Parmesan cheese

Line baking pan with foil and lay the fish out on it. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with breadcrumbs and some parmesan. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes (the filets are quite thin, and you don’t want to dry them out). Serve with lemon wedges. For a side, I sauteed some tiny, fresh asparagus in butter with a splash of soy.

Jordan came along and ate one of the four pieces I cooked. I ate two and had one for lunch today—it was just as good as last night, maybe better. In retrospect, though, I think I’d leave out the parmesan and just use the breadcrumbs.

So what fish will I cook for the family? I’m not sure. Cod and ocean perch are reasonably priced choices, though I’d probably stick with cod. It’s versatile, and you can do a lot with it. Branzino, or sea bass, is another good choice—hmmm, wonder if I could sell them on a whole roasted fish? If it has the head on, Jordan will have nothing to do with it, but I could have the fishmonger trim head and tail. I’ll watch for sales on halibut or red snapper or trout. And I bet more salmon will appear on our table—Christian loves to grill it.

Don’t be afraid of cooking fish. Remember one cardinal rule: overcooking it is a sin.