Please welcome our guest, Peter Minakis, from Kalofagas.
Those who have followed my writings, recipes and travels from Greece will know that I love eating whole fish and that if you were to visit Greece and order fish at a taverna, it will likely arrive whole...tail, head, eyes, etc. Greeks will go to their local fish monger in search of the best fish -which is the freshest fish.
I am concerned by all the fillets I see on display in comparison to the whole fish on display at many fish mongers. How long has that fillet been there? How fresh was the fish when it arrived at the store? It's hard to tell if you're presented with just the fillet. I hope that you will ask for more whole fish to be sold at your fish monger and if you are the type that is still squeamish about seeing the whole fish being presented on your plate, then I have a solution for you - fillet your own fish you're in eating the best fish - the freshest fish.
Your sense of smell will never fail you. Get up & close to the fish and take a sniff. If it smells anything other than the sea then skip over it. Go sniff another fish. Once you've found a fish that smells fresh; the eyes should be clear, not sunken in. Now it's time to life the gills to see if they are a bright red. If so, that's another good sign - any other colour is not good. Now don't be afraid, touch the fish - it should be firm and not slimy. So, your fish smells of the sea, has clear eyes, red gills and a firm body to the touch. Ask your fishmonger to scale, trim and gut the fish. The rest? You and I are going to fillet the fish at home!
Like in many things in life, there's more than one way to complete a task and in cooking this also holds true. Anyone can fillet a fish as long as you have a sharp knife and a flat work surface to work with. I recommend filleting your fish on your cutting board an a long, slender (and sharp) boning knife is best. This knife is long, slender and flexible. For today's demo, I'll be filleting a sea bream, farm-raised from Greece and found all over the Mediterranean and even sold at many fish mongers here in Canada and the US.
How to Fillet a Fish
Place your knife at the tail end and cut down until you hit the backbone. Now twist your knife 90 degrees towards the head an while holding the fish at the mid-section with your other hand, make long cuts back & forth - using the backbone as your guide as you free the fillet from the backbone. As soon as you reach the gillplate (before the head), turn your knife downwards to free the fillet entirely from the body and separate the belly part of the fish as well. Now flip the fish and repeat the same process.
You now have two fillets. Rub your hands over the flesh of the fillets and feel for pin-bones. You may remove them with needle-nose pliers and there will also be a row of rib-bones around the belly area of each fillet. The best way to remove those bones is to simply cut underneath them, starting from the middle part of the fillet. You should know have two cleaned fillets of fish. Simply rinse the fillets and pat them dry. They are now ready to be grilled, fried or baked. (You may freeze the head and bones for a fish soup or stock)
Today, we're going to pan-fry the sea bream fillets. You'll need to par-boil your potatoes, green beans and carrot but other than that, this a quick dish that can be on your dinner table in thirty minutes. I've included some Greek flavours here like fresh dill, anise-flavoured Ouzo, lemons, wine, orange zest and scallions (or leeks).
Pan-Fried Sea Bream With Dill Potatoes, Carrots and Beans
(serves 2)
1 sea bream, gutted and filleted
1/4 of fine semolina flour (or cornmeal)
1/4 cup extra-virgin oil
6 small potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup of green beans, tips removed
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into thin sticks
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of vegetable or fish stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 shot of Ouzo
1 tsp. of orange zest
1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 chopped fresh dill
lemon wedges for garnish
1. This dish comes together easily if you organize and prepare your ingredients (mise en place). First, palce a medium pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Season you water with salt and add your potatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until they are just fork-tender. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes and then strain. Now add your carrots and beans into the same pot of salted water and blanche for 5 minutes or until just tender (some resistance when you poke then with a fork). Remove the carrots and beans place in ice water then strain. Reserve your vegetables.
2. So as to prevent your fish fillets from curling-up when you fry them, make two or three slices into the skin with your knife. Now season with salt and pepper then lightly dredge in semolina flour (or cornmeal). Now place a heavy skillet on your stove-top over medium-high heat. Add half your olive (2 Tbsp.) to your skillet and place the fillets in the skillet face down. Don't touch the fish, allow the pan to do its work. You can check to see if the fish is ready to be flipped after 4 to 5 minutes. If the fish is sticking....just leave the fillet alone, it will 'unstick' when it's ready. Flip the fillets after 5 minutes and saute for another 1 minute. Set aside & keep warm ( 250F oven works).
3. Now add the remaining olive oil in the skillet along with the wine, stock, mustard and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Now add the potatoes, beans, carrots, Ouzo, scallions and orange zest and simmer for another 2-3 minutes while gently tossing the vegetables. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add the chopped fresh dill and stir-in.
Those who have followed my writings, recipes and travels from Greece will know that I love eating whole fish and that if you were to visit Greece and order fish at a taverna, it will likely arrive whole...tail, head, eyes, etc. Greeks will go to their local fish monger in search of the best fish -which is the freshest fish.
I am concerned by all the fillets I see on display in comparison to the whole fish on display at many fish mongers. How long has that fillet been there? How fresh was the fish when it arrived at the store? It's hard to tell if you're presented with just the fillet. I hope that you will ask for more whole fish to be sold at your fish monger and if you are the type that is still squeamish about seeing the whole fish being presented on your plate, then I have a solution for you - fillet your own fish you're in eating the best fish - the freshest fish.
Your sense of smell will never fail you. Get up & close to the fish and take a sniff. If it smells anything other than the sea then skip over it. Go sniff another fish. Once you've found a fish that smells fresh; the eyes should be clear, not sunken in. Now it's time to life the gills to see if they are a bright red. If so, that's another good sign - any other colour is not good. Now don't be afraid, touch the fish - it should be firm and not slimy. So, your fish smells of the sea, has clear eyes, red gills and a firm body to the touch. Ask your fishmonger to scale, trim and gut the fish. The rest? You and I are going to fillet the fish at home!
Like in many things in life, there's more than one way to complete a task and in cooking this also holds true. Anyone can fillet a fish as long as you have a sharp knife and a flat work surface to work with. I recommend filleting your fish on your cutting board an a long, slender (and sharp) boning knife is best. This knife is long, slender and flexible. For today's demo, I'll be filleting a sea bream, farm-raised from Greece and found all over the Mediterranean and even sold at many fish mongers here in Canada and the US.
How to Fillet a Fish
Place your knife at the tail end and cut down until you hit the backbone. Now twist your knife 90 degrees towards the head an while holding the fish at the mid-section with your other hand, make long cuts back & forth - using the backbone as your guide as you free the fillet from the backbone. As soon as you reach the gillplate (before the head), turn your knife downwards to free the fillet entirely from the body and separate the belly part of the fish as well. Now flip the fish and repeat the same process.
You now have two fillets. Rub your hands over the flesh of the fillets and feel for pin-bones. You may remove them with needle-nose pliers and there will also be a row of rib-bones around the belly area of each fillet. The best way to remove those bones is to simply cut underneath them, starting from the middle part of the fillet. You should know have two cleaned fillets of fish. Simply rinse the fillets and pat them dry. They are now ready to be grilled, fried or baked. (You may freeze the head and bones for a fish soup or stock)
Today, we're going to pan-fry the sea bream fillets. You'll need to par-boil your potatoes, green beans and carrot but other than that, this a quick dish that can be on your dinner table in thirty minutes. I've included some Greek flavours here like fresh dill, anise-flavoured Ouzo, lemons, wine, orange zest and scallions (or leeks).
Pan-Fried Sea Bream With Dill Potatoes, Carrots and Beans
(serves 2)
1 sea bream, gutted and filleted
1/4 of fine semolina flour (or cornmeal)
1/4 cup extra-virgin oil
6 small potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup of green beans, tips removed
1/2 carrot, peeled and cut into thin sticks
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of vegetable or fish stock
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 shot of Ouzo
1 tsp. of orange zest
1 tsp. of Dijon mustard
coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/4 chopped fresh dill
lemon wedges for garnish
1. This dish comes together easily if you organize and prepare your ingredients (mise en place). First, palce a medium pot of water on your stovetop and bring to a boil. Season you water with salt and add your potatoes. Simmer for about 20 minutes or until they are just fork-tender. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes and then strain. Now add your carrots and beans into the same pot of salted water and blanche for 5 minutes or until just tender (some resistance when you poke then with a fork). Remove the carrots and beans place in ice water then strain. Reserve your vegetables.
2. So as to prevent your fish fillets from curling-up when you fry them, make two or three slices into the skin with your knife. Now season with salt and pepper then lightly dredge in semolina flour (or cornmeal). Now place a heavy skillet on your stove-top over medium-high heat. Add half your olive (2 Tbsp.) to your skillet and place the fillets in the skillet face down. Don't touch the fish, allow the pan to do its work. You can check to see if the fish is ready to be flipped after 4 to 5 minutes. If the fish is sticking....just leave the fillet alone, it will 'unstick' when it's ready. Flip the fillets after 5 minutes and saute for another 1 minute. Set aside & keep warm ( 250F oven works).
3. Now add the remaining olive oil in the skillet along with the wine, stock, mustard and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for about 5-7 minutes or until the sauce has reduced by half. Now add the potatoes, beans, carrots, Ouzo, scallions and orange zest and simmer for another 2-3 minutes while gently tossing the vegetables. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and add the chopped fresh dill and stir-in.
4. Divide and place the potatoes, beans and carrots on each plate with the fish fillet (skin side-up), spooning any sauce left in the pan over the vegetables and bit over the fish. Serve with a lemon wedge.
5. Serve with a Boutari Moschofilero white.
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