A Second Course

After receiving such great response to last week’s posting about Fish on Mondays, I thought I should share another buyer’s beware tip.  You know all those pre-marinated items at your butcher or fish counter that sound delicious? Stay away!!!  Typically, the protein used is leftover meat or fish with visible signs of aging. These signs can be disguised beneath a marinade sauce. Aha! It all makes sense. The kicker is these stores are even upcharging the item because of the marinade, and people pay! Making a profit at your health’s expense.  Better idea, make your own marinade or buy some of my favorite Soy Vey perfect for summer grilling.

Ever wonder why a recipe calls for dredging a protein like fish or poultry in flour prior to cooking?  The flour helps to seal in moisture and promote even browning. The key to this food tip, which most recipes do not say, is to dredge your protein IMMEDIATELY before cooking. I cannot stress this enough.  If you let your portion sit covered in flour, the moisture will interact with the flour creating a dough. This dough will stick to your pan and get messy! And make sure your pan is nice and hot before you put your fish or poultry in it.

Also- another secret to the nice golden color is to leave  your meat alone in the pan! Please don’t shake it around or flip it multiple times.  Let the moisture evaporate. Once you see a nice golden brown crust start to form, then flip it! The protein will tell you when its ready. As The Beatles famously said “Let it Be” (although somehow I don’t think they were talking about fish)!

YUM – Sauteed Trout Almondine:

6 words to live by:

Do not order fish on Mondays.

Period.

Most restaurants want to get rid of leftover fish from the weekend (that was likely delivered the previous Thursday). Once fish is portioned, it only lasts a couple days in the fridge. You do the math!

In follow up to yesterday’s posting, I thought I should share the secret of making clarified butter. But first, I should answer the question – what is clarified butter? Clarified butter is butter that has had the moisture and milk solids removed, thus leaving only the fat.  Why do we use clarified butter? Because everything is better with butter! It adds a richness and flavor unrivaled to regular oil. Its worth noting that once butter is clarified, it has a higher smoke point. Regular butter starts to burn and break down at about 250 degrees, whereas clarified butter’s smoke point is about 275-280, allowing you to cook foods at higher temperatures.  So how do we make clarified butter? Its pretty simple if you following these steps:

1) Cut your butter (I usually melt a pound at a time) into small uniform pieces so it melts quickly and place in a bowl over simmering heat (double boiler). I usually keep it on there for about 90 minutes until a nice “crust” of milk solids forms at the top (see above left picture).

2) Take your fork and gently lift the solid milk pieces from the top(see below). These can be discarded.

3) Ladle out the beautifully clear liquid butter being careful not to disturb the water that has settle at the bottom. You only want the butter floating on top (remember fats are lighter than water).  It should look like a viscous yellow oil.

4) Store in the fridge for months!

Any questions? Email me!

posts coming soon….so sorry! Stay tuned!!!