Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Michigan Line Caught Pickerel with Tomatoes and Capers #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

Tender, flaky, freshly caught Pickerel from Michigan, smothered in tomatoes fresh from the garden.


I love eating locally and it doesn't get any better than this........

The last time our brother in law, Ron, came over he was bearing a wonderful gift.  His cousin, Mark, who lives near us has been knocking them dead in Lake St. Clair and the St. Clair River and sent over fresh Pickerel and Perch that he had caught.


The fish was cleaned, boned, skinned, cut into fillets and fresh frozen.  Life doesn't get any better than that!!  Fresh Pickerel, or Walleye as it is called locally, are biting like crazy this year but unless you are out there catching them yourself, they are crazy expensive.  

I can't tell you how much I appreciate Mark's generosity and Ron's thoughtfulness in asking him to share with me.


Last week, when we were at Aunt Irene's for dinner, our daughter, Nicole, called and asked us to stop by on the way home.  Their gardens are exploding with tomatoes.  

They gave us a paper grocery bag filled to the hilt with tomatoes. They also gave us a gallon sized bag of these gorgeous cherry tomatoes that are like eating candy.

I used many of the tomatoes for making and canning my Farmstand Marinara.  We are still enjoying sliced tomatoes at every meal.  These cherry tomatoes were placed in a basket and eaten by the handful each time we passed, but first I removed 4 cups of them to use in this recipe I am sharing with you today.


I was asked to pick the themes for our Kitchen Matrix Cooking Project this month.  This project was started by my friend, Cam, of Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  

She invited me and our friend, Karen, of Karen's Kitchen Stories, to join her as she cooked her way through the cookbook by Mark Bittman.


We take turns choosing themes for each month and post each Tuesday from those themes that are chosen.  This week I asked them to join me in cooking White Fish.  Bittman gave us 12 different ideas for cooking White Fish.  Let's take a look at what they made.




As for me, I made a spin on Bittman's broiled section of the ideas.  In his recipe, he places the White Fish onto a baking sheets, scatters sliced tomatoes and capers over the fish and sticks it under the broiler.


I sauteed up some onions and garlic in olive oil until fragrant and translucent in an oven safe skillet.  I removed the pan from the heat source and stirred in coarsely chopped cherry tomatoes and some capers.

I nestled the fish fillets into the tomato mixture.  Popped it into a hot oven for 15 minutes and dinner was served.


#fish, #pickerel, #walleye, #fresh, #localflavors, #local, #Michigan, #tomatoes, #healthy, #quick, #easy,
Fish, Entrees, Local, Healthy
American
Yield: 6 servingsPin it

Line Caught Pickerel with Tomatoes and Capers

prep time: 15 minscook time: 15 minstotal time: 30 mins
Tender, flaky, freshly caught Pickerel from Michigan, smothered in tomatoes fresh from the garden.

ingredients:

3 lbs. Pickerel Fillets
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. olive oil
1 small, sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 T. capers, drained
2 T. chopped basil

instructions:

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in an oven safe skillet over med high heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.  Add the garlic. Cook and stir a minute more until fragrant.  Remove from heat and stir in the tomatoes and basil.

Nestle the fish fillets into the tomato mixture and place into a preheated 400* oven for 15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  

NOTES:

Recipe inspired by the Kitchen Matrix Cookbook
Created using The Recipes Generator

10 comments:

  1. I had never heard of pickerel, but that looks delicious!! I will have to give this a try.

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    Replies
    1. Walleye, or Pickerel, is delicious. One of my favorite local fish.

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  2. I haven't heard of pickerel either, but your recipe sounds amazing. I have a cousin who brings back flash frozen halibut and cod from Alaska fishing trips, and I'm always grateful for what he shares! Nothing better.

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  3. I've heard of pickerel, but don't often see it near me and I am a horrible fisherman. Last time I went fishing, nothing wold bite to save my life, and yet a fish swam up right to my foot and I reached down and grabbed it. I got rid of my tackle after that. I have a lot of cousins who are great at fishing but that DNA obviously missed me. But I do have the cooking DNA so if I find something I can use, will certainly give this one a try!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is delicious Sue and this recipe will work with any white fish.

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  4. Love fish of any kind! I've been eating more of it since Harley is gone. She hates fish of any kind!! LOL! Mine, of course, is not fresh, but frozen from the grocery store.

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  5. Why don't any of my friends go fishing (and give fish to me) or raise beautiful tomatoes (and give me grocery bags full of them)? I live in Michigan, and have rarely been as lucky as you are! Oh well.

    Your fish preparation looks just wonderful -- a good way to enjoy the real flavors.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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