Besides for a repeat brunch of toasted multigrain bread with some basil, garlic, tomato, red onion, and burrata cheese– I have not cooked for myself in soo long. Too long. Lately, there has been a lot keeping me out of my kitchen, but I will not stand for it anymore. Cooking and blogging just really keeps me in my happy place. Now that we’ve settled that…
After a long week away from home in Barcelona and Ireland, I could NOT wait to get back in my kitchen. The entire trip I was craving a piece of yummy flaky white fish (cross-reference that with my roommate Elana if you wish), but our sleep schedule in Barcelona did not seem coincide with dinner time. Party time? 1am-5am. And that doesn’t include the after parties. Thus, a disco nap was DEFINITELY necessary. So nap time ended up being from 8pm-10:30 pm and we would wake up just in time to order room service. French fries and coffee for 2. (We tried the rest of the menu- decided it was not worth the energy expended on chewing.)
Then came Ireland, and somehow fish was never part of the equation either. Well, that’s a lie. There was sushi for dinner, twice, TONS of yummy potatoes and flavorful beer, but still no flaky white fish in sight. Landed back in NYC Monday morning and by Monday afternoon I was in Whole Foods already buying my produce for the week. Let’s rock.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 head Boston lettuce, rinsed and dried
1 baby pumpkin, peeled and cut into slivers
2 dashes each of; Cinnamon, Cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, smoked sea salt
1 dash each of; cayenne pepper, nutmeg, Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp. olive oil
For the fish:
4 Flounder filets (about 1.25 lbs.)
3/4 cup ground hazelnuts
1/3 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 extra large egg, beaten
olive oil
For the orange-balsamic glaze:
2 parts orange muscat champagne vinegar: 1 part balsamic vinegar
Spoonful of organic brown sugar.
Procedure:
Preheat oven to 400.
Mix together pumpkin and its spices, roast in the oven for about 30 min- shaking up the pan every 10 minutes or so.
Then, wash off the flounder and pat it dry. Set aside. Place the hazelnuts in a food processor and blend it down until it almost looks like a flour. Toss with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
Salt the flounder, then dip it into the egg wash, and then into the hazelnut mixture. Place the filets on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil over all 4 pieces. Place it in the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes. If you wish, flip over the fish halfway through- but then it is more likely the fish will break. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
While the fish is in the oven, let’s make the glaze. Place 2 parts orange muscat champagne vinegar (I used about a 1/3 cup) and 1 part balsamic vinegar (I used about 1/6 of a cup) and 1 spoonful organic brown sugar into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, and using a whisk keep stirring the mixture up while boiling for about 5 minutes until it is reduced down into a syrup.
Now place 1/4 head of the lettuce on a plate, place some roasted pumpkin, a filet of fish, drizzle the orange-balsamic glaze and voila! Yummy flaky white fish dinner party for 4. Enjoy!