Faithful readers of this blog might recall that it was in the spring of 2016 that I learned the word meunière, courtesy of a Vincent Price scallops recipe. (Less faithful readers be assured that this is neither a typo nor a hallucination. Go read that post and come back a happier gormand.) Today's dinner took the meunière to a whole 'nother level for us.
Following my recent Amazon adventures, we have had a bit of a staycation, which of course includes finding some food we can enjoy together. As we started to make menu plans, Pam mentioned several NYT recipes she had been saving. Many involved asparagus, but the season for that is both intense and very brief around here. So she scrolled down to Roasted White Fish With Lemony Almondine. I love all things lemon, and we keep slivered almonds in our fridges just because we so often find good uses for them. Note: as far as I can tell "almondine" does not differ in any meaningful way from "with almonds."
I followed this recipe almost to the letter. "Almost" because I used scallions instead of chives and I used proportionally more lemon that kitchen math would indicate, since I bought only 3/4 of a pound of cod for the two of us. The cod was an exceptionally thick cut from our friends at Kyler's (also exceptional quality, of course) so at the end of the 7-11 minute time frame mentioned in the recipe, it was not quite done. I reduced the oven to 425F and roasted another 5 minutes.
Otherwise, I did everything as called for. Past experience had told me that a meunière seems simple but things move quickly. So I had prepped EVERYTHING ahead of time in order to concentrate on the timing of the butter browning. When I turned the heat off, I actually moved the indispensable cast-iron skillet to a cool part of the stove as I put the almond slivers in. I paid stirred often until the sauce and the cod were both complete. The result: sort of amazing.
Pam had prepared a fruit salad earlier in the day, giving it time to meld in the fridge. This included local peaches with cherries and banana tossed with a mango balsamic. The rest of the meal was a baguette from Kyler's and our favorite Grüner Veltliner (link is to the same varietal from the same producer; Löss and Lehm seems to be out of production now.)
I so enjoyed reading this. Im currently cooking for people who eat differently to me (more can and package). I often feel like Im a freak or nut job as I try to freshen, lighten and keep the menu at basic ingredients. Reading your description reassured me. Im not alone. There are others out there sourcing locally, preferring a real baker or fishmonger. Thank you
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