Fish Meuniere and a Book Review

Tender, meaty cod fillets coated in seasoned flour and egg then pan fried to a gorgeous brown in clarified butter before being finished with a lemon butter sauce and a sprinkle of parsley.

This classic French fish preparation was inspired by the novel, "Cooking for Picasso" by Camille Aubrey.

My friend Cam of Culinary Adventures with Camilla is an avid reader.  She generously sent me a huge box of books that she had read and thought that I might enjoy.  Those books are piled on my night stand and when I am in between book club books I grab one from the pile and settle in for some relaxation.

The latest novel that I finished from this pile is Cooking for Picasso.  I absolutely loved this book that jumps between modern day Celine who finds herself taking a cooking class in France with her aunt and her grandmother, Ondine who had lived in France as a young girl, moved to the USA with her husband and then returned to her family home with Celine's mother upon her husbands death.

This trip was not planned by Celine, it was planned by her mother who now, to Celine's dismay, has been placed into a nursing home following her father's death.  Celine, thinking back to her last visit with her mother realizes that her mother was offering clues to her implying that Celine's grandmother had a painting by Picasso hidden in France where she had finished out her life.

Ondine's family owns a cafe in France and is hired to go each day to prepare lunch for Picasso who has traveled incognito to France while in between relationships.

I absolutely LOVED this story.  It is an easy to read love story.  It is a story of relationships, how they can build us up and how they can tear us down.  It is the story of life...of learning that not all people are trustworthy but that many are.  It is the story of love....unrequited love, undying love, love of others and love of self.  It is the story of personalities showing the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly of each character you meet.

And there is FOOD, tons and tons and tons of delicious, descriptive, tempting food.  Food eaten, food served, food cooked, food bought, food shared.  One dish, especially, caught my eye.....
" picking up two delicate fish, seasoned with salt and fresh black pepper and dredging them in the flour which gave the dish it's name-meuniere for the miller who ground the flour".

It goes on to talk about cooking the sole in clarified butter and olive oil until they were golden on both sides. Then the sole was topped with a sauce of melted butter, lemon juice, capers and parsley.

I knew, immediately that this was going to be dinner for us on a Fish Friday.  I didn't have any sole in the freezer but I did have cod.  Cod is very delicate flavored as well so I knew that it would work.  I served it up with baby potatoes steamed and then tossed in butter and herbs de Provence and steamed broccoli.  It was an amazing dish.  Frank couldn't stop eating it.  In fact, he said this was one of the best fish dishes I had made to date.

Making clarified butter doesn't take long and is very easy.  Melt the butter in a pan until it becomes foamy.  Strain through a fine sieve lined with a coffee filter to trap all solids.  You end up with this gorgeous, clear, clarified, butter.  Use part to pan fry the fish and add freshly squeezed lemon to the remainder to pour onto the fish after cooking.

This meal was not only delicious, it was easy easy and quick to prepare.  Dinner was on the table in less than half an hour from start to finish.

I am sharing this recipe and review over at Foodies Read  led by Heather of Based on a True Story  Stop by and see what books others are reading that inspire them to go into the kitchen.

#frenchcooking, #panfrying, #fish, #cod, #lemon, #butter, #quick, #easy,

Entrees, Fish

French

Yield: 4 servings

Author: Wendy Klik

Cod Meuniere

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 15 M

Tender, meaty cod fillets coated in seasoned flour and egg then pan fried to a gorgeous brown in clarified butter before being finished with a lemon butter sauce and a sprinkle of parsley.

ingredients:

• 4 (6 oz) cod fillets
• 3/4 c. melted, clarified butter (see instructions in post)
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper, to taste
• juice of half a lemon
• handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped

instructions:

How to cook Cod Meuniere

1. Place 1/4 c. butter and olive oil into a skillet over med high heat.
2. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl. Beat the egg and place in second shallow bowl.
3. Pat dry the fish and dredge in the flour and then the egg.  Place into the hot oil and cook until golden brown about 4-5 minutes per side.  Remove to serving platter.
4. Squeeze the lemon juice into the remaining clarified butter.  Pour over the fish and garnish with parsley.  Serve immediately.

Calories
670.45

Fat (grams)
44.63

Sat. Fat (grams)
24.99

Carbs (grams)
21.73

Fiber (grams)
1.26

Net carbs
20.47

Sugar (grams)
7.65

Protein (grams)
45.01

Sodium (milligrams)
277.46

Cholesterol (grams)
243.85

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