Start with any fresh white fish chopped to nugget size so as not to clog the steel blade of your kitchen machine. But first, sauté the fish just once over lightly in hot unsalted butter with a tablespoon of sweated minced onion or shallots, a pinch of minced raw green onion and a dab of golden oven-roasted garlic from your sterilized glass refrigerator jar (truly it keeps for months). Sprinkle with fresh parsley, basil, mint and dill. Or use LiteHouse brand fresh freeze-dried. Their products bloom when in contact with liquid.
Sauté the chopped white fish once over lightly. Remove the fish. Deglaze the skillet with a generous splash of green Chartreuse and a spritz of Bacardi Lime. Add a cup of half and half cream and bring to a gentle boil on medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon and reduce cream by half. Remove from heat. Let rest briefly, covered to avoid a skin forming.
Prepare your favourite mussels using white Black Tower. (You could use clams or even oysters and bay scallops.) Chop the barely cooked mussels and add to the fish cream mix. Measure and add about a half pound of Alaska king crab frozen cooked leg meat. You want the crab to be dominant.
Pulse everything in your kitchen machine quickly. You want a coarse mix.
Add a cup of homemade coarse fresh or frozen breadcrumbs. Store-bought doesn’t work; it’s usually too fine and gritty. Stir in one whole whisked egg and a teaspoon of Dijon. Add a teaspoon of white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and a half cup of Parmesan or Celebrity Sartori BellaVitano Raspberry Ale cheese, grated on the large hole side of a box grater. Chop quite fine a couple of pimento-stuffed bottled Manzanilla green olives and add. (Note: When you have used all the olives in the jar, never toss the residual jus. Save it to enhance salad dressings.)
Use whatever fresh white fish is available where you are; perhaps plaice or even red snapper.
Using small baggies or medical gloves, form the mix into patties or even croquettes. Dredge in herb-seasoned flour, egg wash and more coarse homemade breadcrumbs.
Sauté on medium heat only in a little unsalted butter (not butter-oil mix). Turn only once. Sprinkle with sea salt while still hot. Scatter with your favourite fresh herbs when ready to serve.
You might consider making a “fishwich.”
Put a sautéed patty or croquette between a fresh warm buttered roll with one of your compound butter citrus coins from your frozen reserve log; a Parker House roll works well or use a lobster roll split grilled bread.
It’s a mouth-watering delicious treat, especially for those who observe Friday fish days as a whole family meal. This is also an easy-make meal for those who live alone.
Compliments of manuscript: © Taste the Sea ~ Seafood from Lady Ralston’s Canadian Contessa Kitchen: Crustaceans, Fish ~ lobster, shrimp, crab, mussels, clams, oysters, scallops, salmon, sea salt and more… Fruits de Mer: Jewels of the Sea
The working title for Carolyne’s Gourmet Recipes cookbook is From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks. This kitchen-friendly doyenne has been honoured and referred to as the grande dame of executive real estate in her market area during her 35-year career. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid-70s and wrote a weekly newspaper cooking column, long before gourmet was popular as it is today. Her ebook, Gourmet Cooking – at Home with Carolyne is available here for $5.99 US. Email Carolyne. Scroll down to the comments at each recipe column. Carolyne often adds complimentary “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen” additional recipes in the Recipes for Realtors Comments section at REM.
