It's the perfect supper for a summer's day - Pan-Fried Whitefish with Corn-Tomato-Avocado Salad
The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus occasionally a few tips and tunes too.
The Occasion: Whenever you crave a speedy and spectacular summer supper. When a bumper crop of corn, tomatoes, and fresh herbs at the farmers market makes you swoon, this recipe will put the primo ingredients to good use.
The Recipe: Today’s recipe comes from Serious Eats, a great website that combines recipes, kitchen how-to tips, and useful news from the food world’s movers and shakers. If they’re not already on your Must Read list of sites, check ‘em out.
Corn salad ingredients, prior to tossing. We add the avocado last, to minimize the 'mush' factor.
What Makes It Special: What’s special is the ease of preparation and using super-fresh, local produce. Taken on their own, these ingredients would be good, not necessarily great. But marry them together in this tasty dish and you’ll be serving up summer on a plate in just a matter of minutes.
|
The Playlist: Summertime and the living is easy. So says … pretty much everyone.
This classic song by George Gershwin - Summertime, from Porgy and Bess - has been covered more than 25,000 times. Just for fun, let’s hear two dramatically different interpretations from Billy Stewart and Miles Davis as you read on. Enjoy! Serve With: One perfect glass of crisp, cool, white wine. This summer we’ve been enjoying a Tenshen white blend from California’s Central Coast. Click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions. |
|
The Verdict: Much like the musical pairing, this fish dish is easy. So easy, in fact, that you can substitute other mild white fish fillets in place of the whitefish if you prefer. And if, say, you like oregano better than basil you can swap that too. Lemon juice instead of lime in the dressing? No problem. This dish is so easy, versatile, and delicious, it will become your new summertime BFF.
| Print The Recipe- Pan-Fried Whitefish with Corn-Tomato-Avocado Salad |
Pan-Fried Whitefish with Corn-Tomato-Avocado Salad
Recipe source: Jennifer Olvera for Serious Eats
INGREDIENTS:
DIRECTIONS:
Recipe source: Jennifer Olvera for Serious Eats
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 ears of corn on the cob, cooked, kernels removed (about 1 cup cooked kernels)
- 1 small red onion, minced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 medium Hass avocado, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small tomato, diced (about 1 cup), or 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 2 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 skin-on whitefish (or other light, white-fleshed fish) fillets, about 6 ounces each, patted dry with paper towels
DIRECTIONS:
- Combine corn, red onion, avocado, tomato, red wine vinegar, lime juice,1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and basil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
- Season fish with salt and pepper.
- Melt butter and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter is foaming.
- Add fish, skin side-down, and cook, pressing gently on back of fillets to ensure good contact with skin, until skin is crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. If skin shows resistance when attempting to lift with a spatula, allow it to continue to cook until it lifts easily.
- Flip fish and cook until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer fish to plates, top with salad and serve immediately.
Do your fish preferences change with the seasons? What is your favorite fish to cook in the summertime? Tell us in the Comments.
RSS Feed