>I prefer to make everything from scratch and try, really try to buy things local and in season. As you know I don’t like anything that has been premixed or prepackaged and will avoid it at all costs if possible.
Now I’m not a total crazy; I buy organic pasta and canned tomatoes, Ghiardelli chocolate chips, things of that packaged nature. However I do have a full time job that, although is completely based in my home office, if often consumes many hours at night as well as my days.
So even though my mixer has a pasta attachment and I would PREFER to make pasta from scratch I have to find a balance; at least until I finish my Time Continuum Controller which will allow me to control how slow or fast time will move and when. Patent pending.
There simply isn’t enough time in a day and the fact that weekends are called weekENDS and not week beginnings, even though we technically consider Saturday the end and Sunday the beginning, (and why is one a compound word and the other two words), that simple fact makes those two days pass faster than the other five.
Boy did I get off track.
Food. I have a lot of things I want to learn how to make from scratch and I think it’s important to buy not only local but sustainable. Therefore I am very particular about when, where and what kind of fish I buy. I know, from homemade food to weekends to fish, yeah… ADD.
I haven’t had fish in a long time, not sure why, but it sounded really good. I just happened to see wild local caught flounder had been rounded up recently so I had some wrapped, thanked it for the sacrifice and married it with some crab. Trust me, the honeymoon was delicious!
Do a little research before you go shopping and you’ll be a better fish buyer before you can say “fishboy boots and cow fins”. If you haven’t looked at your local fish wrangler recently here’s a few tips
Fish farms may SEEM like a good idea and some are but it depends on the fish being raised. Most fillet fishes like salmon, catfish etc actually create more problems than solve. They are raised in large nets and in a single day can generate up to 65,000 lbs of waste. I would NOT want to be their garbage man. This waste falls to the bottom of the seabed floor where it can cause more damage and mess to the natural ecosystem of the water than 13 toddlers let loose in a Toys R Us; and like 13 toddlers this mung can create some nasty harmful bacteria.
Now, lets talk feeding these suckers. These fish farmers don’t just go to their local Pet Smart and buy 30,000 lbs of fish food. So where do they get it? They go catch it of course. Salmon are carnivores that eat, what else, fish. It takes three pounds of fish to grow one pound of farm raised salmon so that math is better left alone.
The good news is the FDA passed a law that requires fish to be labeled by how it’s grown, wild or farmed, and list the country of origin. You’re going to pay a lot more for flounder shipped in from Norway than those caught in Florida. Besides our fish have nice tans. Last time I checked Norway is flippin cold!
Just for the record there is “dolphin fish” and “dolphin mammal” think Flipper. Dolphin fish is commonly known as Mahi Mahi, Very yummy and totally legal to eat, remember wild. The mammal however is a protected species world wide and illegal, as in go straight to jail, to hunt, sell or eat in all countries.
Lets get down to the hard core, hard as in shellfish. Shellfish has very little impact on the environment when raised in farms. They are quiet, don’t throw rowdy parties, make big old messes and usually just lay there and play nice with Mother Nature. How nice of them. So it’s ok if you buy farm raised shellfish, just look for that caught as close to home.
Ok so what’s fir dinner right, I mean that is what we are working towards.
I couldn’t remember the recipe I made once upon a time so I winged it and threw things together that sounded like they would jive.
I hope you enjoy and Let me know if you have your own variation of this.
Crab Stuffed Flounder
4 fresh flounder fillets
1 C. fresh or canned lump crab
4 Tbs butter
1/4 C. celery, finely chopped
1/4 C. green onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 C. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbs oregano, chopped
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/4 C. heavy cream
1 egg
1/2 C. fine bread crumbs (fresh bread run through a food processor works best)
2-3 Tbs melted butter
1/4 C. grated Parmesan, Romano or Dublin cheese.
1. Dry fillets completely and lay flat on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
2. In a medium skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add onion, garlic and celery and saute for 2 minutes.
3. In small bowl combine cream and egg, whip until mixed.
4. Add crab, breadcrumbs, herbs and lemon juice to pan. Remove pan from heat and slowly temper the cream and egg mixture so as not to scramble the egg. Combine well.
5. Spoon 1/4 of crab mixture onto the center of each fillet and starting with the small end of the fish, roll.
6. Place seem side down and baste fillets with melted butter. Dust with salt and pepper and bake in 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.
7. After 10 minutes sprinkle with cheese and cook additional 10 minutes or until flaky.
Serve over a bed of buttered pasta, basmati rice or risoto. As pictured: basmati and brown grain rice mixed, complimented with wilted spinach salad.
thebutterdish 