Pepper-Crusted Lake Perch in Red Wine Sauce
Here’s a great example of a fish dish that begs for a red wine to accompany it. If you’re an inland resident who loves to fish, this dish is especially flavorful made with “today’s catch!” If you prefer, you can use less pepper than I do.
Makes 6 servings
2 tablespoons coarsely ground mixed peppercorns (black, green, pink)
3/8 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 5-ounce lake perch fillets
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1. In a pie plate or a low-sided bowl mix the peppercorns with the breadcrumbs and sea salt. Just before you are ready to start the cooking, coat both sides of each fillet with the mixture. (If you do this too far in advance, the coating may become soggy and pick up too much oil.)
2. Warm a sauté pan over low heat. Put in the oil and butter and raise the heat to medium-high, until the butter is melted. When you put the fish fillets in the pan, you should hear a searing noise. (In other words, you want the oil to be hot enough!) Sauté the fish for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
3. After cooking the fish, remove it from the pan and keep warm on a covered platter.
Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/8 cup finely chopped shallots
3 cups dry red wine
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 large sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme)
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
Sea salt to taste
1. Add 2 tablespoons butter and all the shallots to the hot pan. Sauté the shallots over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then pour in the red wine. Add the garlic and thyme, raise the heat, and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mustard. Add freshly ground pepper and taste before adding salt. It may very well be salty enough.
2. To serve, arrange the fish on hot plates. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing down on the onion to extract as much flavor as possible.
Ladle some sauce over the fish and serve at once.
Wine Tip: St. Supéry’s 2001 Syrah would be ideal with this fish. It’s their first vintage of this yummy wine -- available only at the winery or in their on-line store. Aromas of blackberry and raspberry are framed by toasty coffee-scented oak, while mulberry, cranberry and black cherries linger on your palate. (www.stsupery.com)
Makes 6 servings
2 tablespoons coarsely ground mixed peppercorns (black, green, pink)
3/8 cup fine dry breadcrumbs
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
6 5-ounce lake perch fillets
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1. In a pie plate or a low-sided bowl mix the peppercorns with the breadcrumbs and sea salt. Just before you are ready to start the cooking, coat both sides of each fillet with the mixture. (If you do this too far in advance, the coating may become soggy and pick up too much oil.)
2. Warm a sauté pan over low heat. Put in the oil and butter and raise the heat to medium-high, until the butter is melted. When you put the fish fillets in the pan, you should hear a searing noise. (In other words, you want the oil to be hot enough!) Sauté the fish for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
3. After cooking the fish, remove it from the pan and keep warm on a covered platter.
Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/8 cup finely chopped shallots
3 cups dry red wine
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 large sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme)
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper
Sea salt to taste
1. Add 2 tablespoons butter and all the shallots to the hot pan. Sauté the shallots over medium heat for about 3 minutes, then pour in the red wine. Add the garlic and thyme, raise the heat, and cook until the wine is reduced by half. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the mustard. Add freshly ground pepper and taste before adding salt. It may very well be salty enough.
2. To serve, arrange the fish on hot plates. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pressing down on the onion to extract as much flavor as possible.
Ladle some sauce over the fish and serve at once.
Wine Tip: St. Supéry’s 2001 Syrah would be ideal with this fish. It’s their first vintage of this yummy wine -- available only at the winery or in their on-line store. Aromas of blackberry and raspberry are framed by toasty coffee-scented oak, while mulberry, cranberry and black cherries linger on your palate. (www.stsupery.com)
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