White fish and Cream Sauce!

Cafe Society
1

If you’ve got one, post it here. At the Acid Lamp/Nashiitashii household, we adore fish. Years ago I came up with a fish bake that’s always a hit, even with those who don’t usually care for fish. So If you’ve got recipes of your own I’d love to hear them. Mine is as follows:

All measurements are rough, and you ought to use your own judgment in amounts.

2-4 fillets of haddock, whiting, cod, flounder, grouper or whatever whitefish you can find. 2 if they are nice fat fillets, four if they are skinny or you are using flounder.

1/2 pint heavy cream
cheeses: Mozzarella, sharp cheddar, smoked gouda
Italian bread crumbs or japanese Panko whichever you prefer
old bay, or your proffered seafood season
thyme
rosemary
bay leaves

In a shallow casserole dish pour in the cream and place your fillets in, trying to keep all of them in the cream if you can.

Toss in some of the bread crumbs, about enough to lightly coat the fish.
place a layer of mozzarella over the whole lot, about two handfuls does it for me.

More bread crumbs and a layer of sharp cheddar about one hand full.

more bread crumbs and a light layer of smoke gouda, again about a hand full.

Season lightly with the rosemary, and thyme, and get liberal with the old bay. Place three bay leaves on top and bake at 250 for 1 1/2-2 hrs or until it’s nice and flakey. Serve with garlic toast or bruschetta!

2

Last Friday, with little food in the house, I threw together the following - 1/2 inch layer of (non-instant) mashed potatoes, topped with a cod fillet, lemon butter, then another 1/2 inch of mashed potatoes mixed with parmesan cheese.

I baked it for about 20 minutes, then put it under the broiler for a couple to brown and crisp the mashed potatoes. It was fantastic!

3

That sounds pretty good, and cooking it at that low of a temperature coupled with the layers of bread and cheeses will keep it nice and moist, no doubt.

I prefer shellfish to fish most of the time, but when I want a simple fish dish at home, I usually cook fresh roughy coated with lime and orange slices, with a some fresh basil and salt and pepper. I wrap it in tinfoil and either cook it longer in the oven over a lower temperature like you do, or toss it on the grill. The foil does a great job of trapping moisture, and the citrus juice runoff really flavors an otherwise mild flavored fish.

Favorite shellfish dish (although frightfully expensive) is fresh natural sea scallops, heavily seasoned with salt and pepper, seared in a very hot pan with a little bit of truffle oil. Crispy seared and browned texture outside, medium inside.

I place them on some frissee that I toss with almonds, a wee dram of balsamic and then drizzle browned truffle butter over the scallops. Yum.

4

Warning: only make the following if you have total disregard for your health.

DEATH BY SCALLOPS:

1 lb scallops, cleaned, salted & peppered
~ 3/4 cup crushed Ritz crackers and 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs, mixed together
1 cup heavy cream
a few Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

In a bread pan (preferably glass or ceramic), layer the scallops, dot with butter, and layer with Ritz Crackers; Repeat (# of layers depends on size of scallops.) Gently and lovingly pour heavy cream over entire dish. Bake. Die of ecstasy and heart disease.