Buttery Whitefish Baked In a Bag

Here's a buttery, lemony baked white fish recipe that only takes a few minutes and tastes great. Use any white fish you have - haddock, orange roughy, whatever. If you have some small brown paper lunch bags on hand, perfect--if not, cut up a large brown paper grocery bag.

Preheat the oven to 350. For each person, use 2 fillets, of about equal size/thickness. Cut the bag so it's one flat piece, lay it on a baking sheet with an edge, and brush the bag with just enough vegetable oil to coat. If you've thawed the fish, drain it first on paper toweling so its not waterlogged and wet. Lay one fillet on the paper, and sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 tsp lemon juice, depending on fillet size. Sprinkle generously with garlic powder and paprika. Top with 2-4 thin slices of cold butter. If limiting fat, you can use Smart Beat or a similar butter-substitute product and smear it on. Lay the next fillet crosswise over it and repeat the steps.

Slice a lemon into 6-8 slices, and cover the fish pile, pinning the lemon slices with toothpicks. Pull the edges of the bag closed, folding them under to make a loose package- it does not need to be airtight. Place package on baking sheet in the oven for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the fish.

We had this tonight with blueberry cole slaw, and thought it had lots of buttery. lemony flavor.

Broiled Halibut in Clam Sauce

I usually pick up regional  recipe books when traveling, and  while I did not bring home any freshly-caught Alaskan halibut , due to rough seas   the day we were scheduled to go out  from Homer, I did bring  a spiral bound collection of  150 "Alaskan Halibut Recipes"  contributed by locals.   There are many that sound wonderful. Many  of them  are  breaded or fried ,  so we haven't tried those yet, but  some others  tempted us.   This unusual  clam- sauced dish has become a favorite,. You can  use any thick, firm whitefish -- cod or haddock for example -- successfully.   There's  some  fat,  but  the dish is  very low in carbs.

 In a saucepan, heat 2 TB butter, when melted, add 2 TB flour.  Add clam juice from one small can of minced clams, plus enough hot milk to make 1 cup total.   Cook,  whisking, until the sauce is thick and boils.  Stir in 2 TB lemon juice, 1/3 c. minced  green onion, 1/4 c. sliced green olives, 1 tsp. prepared mustard, 1/4 c. mayonnaise ( no substitutes) and 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Place 2 lbs halibut fillets on a greased baking dish, season with salt & pepper, and   the juice of one lemon..  Dot with  butter and broil for 5 or 6 minutes before turning and covrering with clam sauce.  Return to broiler and cook until the sauce is bubbly, about 5 minutes.  Serves 4-6.

Rose Lake Favorite Walleye

A recipe from my uncle Ed Bowers, from his cottage on Rose Lake in Minnesota, many years ago. My dad Doug and his brothers Jack and Ed helped my grandfather build several of their cottages in the Vergas- Detroit Lakes area and  when I was a baby my dad built and owned one called  Thunderbird Lodge.   http://www.minnesotalakes.com/

The big stone fireplaces and the stone walls on the outside steps were the things I remember most.  Grandad's Rose Lake cottage  was built in the early 1920's and  is still there and still in the family.  All my cousins own homes on various lakes.....Loon, Detroit, Melissa , Rose Making a another visit soon  is on my bucket list, to recall wonderful teenage summers as a guest of my aunts and uncles, and to catch up with distant family.

Melt 1/2 lb butter, add 1 medium onion, sliced, and 1/2 green pepper, sliced, cook til softened. Remove from pan. Dust 2 lb walleye or other white fish fillets with nutmeg, place in the same pan on low heat. When the flesh sets, turn and cover with the veggies. Cook about 4 more minutes, add 1/2 tsp salt. 1/4 tsp pepper, and 2 cups half and half cream. Simmer another 4 minutes.

Uncle Ed liked the sauce served over potatoes.

Maine Schooner Baked Haddock

Fresh fish and avocado,  crab and butter... eaten alfresco on the deck of a Maine schooner - what could be better?  I think this recipe is from the schooner Stephen  Taber's galley  but  wouldn't swear to it.    LL Bean sells copies of many of  the  schooner fleet's  recipes, and you can also purchase it online. 

 

Whichever  Maine schooner galley it came from, it is wonderful! Substitute cod, perch, or other whitefish of your choice if you have to, but haddock is our favorite . 

Spray a flat baking dish and arrange 2 lbs haddock fillets on the bottom. Combine 2 c  crunchy garlic & herb croutons with 1 stick melted margarine, 4 oz cooked fresh or canned crabmeat, and 4 chopped canned artichokes or 1 chopped avocado. Mix gently and spread over the fish. Top with 1 tomato, sliced, and sprinkle with 1 c shredded cheddar. Bake until flaky in a preheated 350 oven, 20-25 minutes. Of course, if  you choose to bake it in a wood-fired oven like they do  in the galleys of  the  Maine schooners, you may need to adjust the time a bit , and remember that all wood-fired ovens have their own unique hot   spots !

Cashew Pisces Fromage - Cheesy Cashew Fish

Adapted from an old Paula Deen recipe that I'd ameded by adding  the hot sauce and green onion, and thanks to Eilene, a sailing friend, recently added  the cashews and ranch dressing mix. This was a  raw, cold, wet summer in Maine and one very  windy, very rainy, miserable afternoon  we retreated  below to the warmth of the woodstove-heated galley and swapped recipes for hours. She makes a little more cholesterol-friendly version -- doesn't use  butter or cheese at all, she uses a cup of sour cream instead.  Thanks, Eilene, we can't do without the cheese but we  do like that extra  cashew crunch!


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly spray the bottom of a  shallow  baking dish.
In a small skillet, add 1 tablespoon butter or oil over medium heat.  Add 3/4 cup chopped  onion and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly.  To the bowl, add  2 cups shredded  muenster or monterey jack cheese, 1 cup mayonnaise, 3 chopped green onion tops ( green only), 1 capful  hot  sauce, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 1/8 tsp. garlic powder, 2  TB.  dry Hidden Valley Ranch buttermilk-ranch dressing mix  and 1/2 c. cashews .  Stir well and set aside.

Place  4-6 fillets of firm white fish, ( about 2 lbs), generally the same size and thickness,  in the baking dish and squeeze the juice of a  lemon over it. Top fish with slices of cold butter, using 1/2 stick.  Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is almost done;  the time will depend on the thickness of the  fish.  Remove the dish from the oven and cover each fillet with the cheese mixture.   Sprinkle with paprika, return to the oven and bake until cheese melts, about 8 to 10 minutes.   Top with a little chopped green onion.    Any  firm white fish will do --- cod, grouper, haddock, walleye.  If the fillets turn out to have  one  very skinny end,  fold it under the thicker end to make each fillet about equal in thickness so they all cook evenly. And, I'm sure you  already know  not to use  low-fat  mayo or Miracle Whip.

Baked Haddock in Dill Sour Cream

Place 2 lb fish fillets in a deep baking dish. Mix 2 c. sour cream, 1/2 c real mayonnaise, 1 tsp celery salt, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp thyme and 1/2 tsp paprika. Spread over the fish and sprinkle with 2 tsp dill. Bake in preheated 350 oven 20 minutes, or until fish flakes. Serves 4.