Wednesday, October 31, 2012

for dinner, any fish will do - a mustard sauce with capers.

Salmon with wilted kale

Halibut with mustard greens
This is one of the easiest ways to cook fish that is full of flavor, without adding fat or calories.  In our home, I've served fish prepared this way, twice in the last five days.  On Friday I used salmon, and last night I used the same sauce with halibut.  Swordfish would also stand up quite nicely to the mustard.

I always keep several large jars of capers (any brand will do) in my pantry, and for this recipe I used Maille dijon mustard. It has a nice heat without too much added sugar. The capers, which are slightly sour and quite salty, are excellent with most fish, including smoked salmon or added to shrimp scampi.

Fish with a Mustard and Caper Sauce

Ingredients:
1lb filet of fish ( salmon, halibut or swordfish would be the best option, but "any fish will do!"
juice of half a lemon - freshly squeezed
3 tlbs dijon mustard
2 tlbs capers
Freshly ground pepper
Leafy greens for wilting - Kale, Collards, Chard, or Mustard greens, all compliment the fish nicely


mustard greens
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 F.

On a cookie sheet, spread out enough tinfoil to wrap the fish on all sides.  This is usually a few inches more than the length of the pan.

Place the fish on the tinfoil lined cookie sheet, skin side down.
Drizzle fish with fresh lemon juice.

In a small bowl combine mustard, capers and a dash of freshly ground pepper.
Spread the mustard mixture evenly over the fish.  Sprinkle with a bit more pepper.

Wrap the fish with tinfoil by bringing the two long ends together over the fish and then folding them down until they are just against the fillet.  Fold the short sides in toward the fish.  This seals in the juices and steam so that your fish will stay moist while it cooks.

Place the pan, with the fish, in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile,  rinse the greens thoroughly.  If the stems are thick ( as in Kale or Chard) tear the leaf from the stem.  Place these leaves into a large pot.  I use a Le Creuset enameled cast iron pot, which distributes the heat evenly.   Turn the stove to medium high heat and stir the greens often, so they do not burn.  Keep in mind,  the greens will reduce drastically as they wilt.  This will take about 7-10 minutes.  (I like to drizzle the kale with balsamic vinegar while it is reducing,  but mustard greens are delicious on their own.)

 
kale
Once the greens are wilted, remove the pot from the heat.
Remove the fish from the oven.  Be careful when opening the tinfoil as steam will be released, and steam is VERY hot.  

Plate the fish and the greens, sprinkle with a dash of sea salt - and Voila! you have dinner. 

5 comments:

  1. I'm going to try this. We caught a lot of rockfish in Alaska last summer and I've been unsure what to do with it. I'll let you know if it works!

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    1. Just tried it! So easy and so delicious! Thanks, Julia!

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  2. I didn't realize your mustard sauce was so simple. It's one of my favorite dipping sauces in your fridge!

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  3. Thanks Jules for sharing this! I made this last night and we loved it. Definitly will be my "go to" for salmon!

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  4. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying this - in fact it's what we're having for dinner tonight! :)

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