Don't Fear the Flounder

Cooking fish can be a challenge. I was lucky enough to be a fish butcher for a while and believe that being able to butcher your own fish gives you  flexibility: you can use a fillet, a whole fish, a stuffed fish, etc . So this is the first in a series of entries that will show you how to prepare a fish.

But enough of this gross stuff! Let’s talk about dinner.

The blurry photograph is flounder sauteed with chanterelle mushrooms and marcona almonds, deglazed with an off-dry riesling. It is accompanied by garlic-sauteed kale/collard mix and a pan-fried grit cake.

For the Flounder: Season the flounder with salt and pepper, and powder lightly with flour. Heat a couple tablespoons ofoil in a pan on medium-high heat and throw in the marcona almonds and chantrelles. Stir them around a bit to keep from burning. Once the mushrooms start to soften, push them and the almonds to the side and put the flounder in the pan. Two minutes on each side should be all you need to get the flounder a little brown . Deglaze the pan with a splash of wine to make sauce for the fish.

For the Grit Cake: Start by having grits for breakfast. (My favorite excuse!) I am a Southerner. I have PRIDE in my grits. My favorite brand is Anson Mills. This particular brand has great flavor on its own just boiled in water. A good rule of thumb is to start with 4 cups of cooking liquid to 1 cup of grits, which will make way too much for any one meal. Towards the end of the cooking process, I add another cup of milk or cream to smooth out the texture. (You can have these grits for breakfast while they are still soft and creamy) Whatever you don’t eat, spread them out in a pan (I like a rectangular pyrex) and go about your day while they chill completely. Now you can cut out fun shapes and pan fry them in olive oil. Do not move them around, but wait until the edges are browning nicely before you turn them over.

For the Collards and Kale: Tear the greens into bite-sized pieces and wash. Mince a garlic clove and put it in a pan on medium-high. After about 30 seconds, toss in the greens and turn them over occassionally. If necessary, add water to help steam them along.

AP Option! Pick up a whole flounder to gut and filet yourself! There are several good videos on Youtube but of course I am going to show you mine. I promise the amateur filmmaking will get better as soon as I figure out the whole lighting thing.

This Week’s Multi-meal Hero: GRITS

Ok so maybe I am milking the southern food goodness, but grits really are amazing. Check out the math:

Cooked Grits + Cold + Fry = Grit Cakes

Warm Grits + Cream  = Creamy Grits

Warm Grits + Cheese = Cheesy Grits

Warm Grits + Truffle oil = Truffle Grits

Grits + Scallions pureed in milk = Scallion Grits

I am going to start sounding like Bubba from Forrest Gump (SHRIMP AND GRITS)