Lemon Dover Sole

I have such wonderful memories of the first time I had Dover sole. I was in Las Vegas at Jean-Georges Steakhouse in the Bellagio and the special was Dover sole. Our server was fantastic and told us whenever Dover sole was on the menu, we should order it. He was SO right. Dover sole is probably my most favorite fish. Back in Houston, I can always get it on Wednesday nights at Brasserie 19, but imagine my surprise when a friend told me she found Dover sole at Costco. They don't stock a ton of it, so it isn't always there, but when it is, BUY IT.  This recipe couldn't be any simpler, my friend made it for me for lunch one day after making the Costco discovery and I was hooked.

Lemon Dover Sole

¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 Dover sole filets
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Stir together the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge the Dover sole filets in the flour mixture. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Dover sole filets to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over the sole with a spatula and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the lemon juice to the pan. Plate the fish and sauce, serve.

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Baked Steelhead Trout

Miss F first had trout at a restaurant on the Wolfgangsee in Austria. She also had a char that she loved even more.  I took her to the grocer with me and was pleased to see that they had both Rainbow trout and steelhead trout available.  I let Miss F make the choice and she opted for the steelhead.  This portion was mine and I fully figured to eat the leftovers from Miss F, but it turns out, there were none.  She inhaled the fish!  This recipe couldn't be any easier and it resulted in a perfectly cooked fish. It would be equally delicious with char or salmon.  I love that Miss F loves seafood as much as I do, I just wish we could have it more often.

Baked Steelhead Trout

4 steelhead trout filets
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 small lemon
1 teaspoon parsley

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the filets on it. Stir together the butter, juice of half the lemon, 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and the parsley. Brush the butter over each filet, salt and pepper to taste. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes. Squeeze the remaining lemon half over the filets and serve.

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Stone Crab

C and I took an amazing trip to Miami for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary and to catch a Miami Heat playoff game. Ten years ago Miami would have been about clubbing and drinking...now I am all about the beach and eating. We were lucky enough to dine at Barton G and Ola for dinner, but our lunch at Joe's Take-a-way before the Heat game was equally memorable. I got the recipe for their famous stone crab sauce from Saveur and I was ready to recreate the experience at home.  My mom and I headed to the Kemah fish markets, where I knew I had seen stone crab on prior visits, but this time we visited five shops before we finally found some, I was about to give up.  Whenever I had gotten stone crab from the grocer, it has always been precooked.  And everything I ready on the internet seemed to suggest that is the only way it was sold, unless it was fresh off the boat.  Well...we got gfresh off the boat claws and I didn't realize it.   After a bit of a panic, we figured it out and dined on amazing crab claws, without the Miami prices.

Stone Crab

3 to 4 pounds stone crab claws, fresh or cooked

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons half-and-half
4 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon A.1. Steak Sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground 

black pepper, to taste

Is using fresh crab claws, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the stone crab claws to the boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. While the crab is boiling, prepare a large bowl of ice water, large enough to hold all the crab. After the crab has cooked, submerge each claw in the ice water bath and let sit for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the crab claws from the ice water and refrigerate until ready to serve.

If using pre-cooked claws, serve chilled with the sauce.

Whisk mayonnaise, half-and-half, mustard, Worcestershire, and A.1. sauce in a bowl until smooth; season with salt and pepper and chill. Serve as a dipping sauce for the chilled stone crab.

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Salmon with Champagne Cream Sauce, Mom's Roasted Dill Potatoes

I had opened a bottle of champagne and only drank about one glass worth, so I decided to look for a recipe using champagne. Champagne, butter and cream = heaven. I adapted this recipe from one of Emeril's and it doesn't disappoint one bit. I will make it again for sure, but if I use salmon, I will roast it or pan sear it, rather than poaching it. Poaching makes the salmon rather flavorless in my opinion, no matter how flavorful the poaching liquid is. I didn't bother straining the sauce. I will make it again for sure. It would be great with shrimp and pasta or maybe even a lobster ravioli. In order for C to eat it, maybe I will try a chicken and spinach ravioli with it. No matter what, I will make it again for sure!

My mom has been making these potatoes for years. They are really easy and always turn out great. You can mix up the herbs, seasonings and even add cheese.

Champagne Poached Salmon

1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups Brut Champagne
1/8 cup shallots
3 sprigs fresh dill
1 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin removed
Champagne Cream Sauce, recipe follows

Grease a 2-quart straight-sided saute pan with the butter. Add the Champagne, shallots, dill sprigs, chopped dill, and salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the fish to the pan and spoon the poaching liquid over them. Cook uncovered until the salmon is firm and cooked through, about 10 minutes. (If the poaching liquid does not cover the fish, spoon the liquid over the fillets as they cook.)

Using a slotted spatula, remove the fillets from the pan and blot excess liquid with a paper towel. Serve with the Champagne Cream Sauce.

Champagne Cream Sauce

1/4 cup chopped shallots
1/2 cup Champagne
3/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Champagne vinegar

In a saucepan, combine the shallots and Champagne. Bring to a boil and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes.

Add the heavy cream, bring to a boil and simmer until cream thickens and coats the back of a spoon, and is reduced by nearly 50 percent in volume, about 3 minutes.

Whisk in the butter until smooth and strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Season, to taste, with salt, pepper, and vinegar and serve immediately over fish or shellfish.

Note: If sauce is made in advance, keep warm in a bain marie over barely simmering water.

Roasted Dill Potatoes

2 tablespoons butter
8 to 10 red potatoes, cut into eighths
1 tablespoon fresh dill, minced

Preheat oven to 425. Add butter in a glass gratin pan. Melt butter in the oven. Toss the potatoes in the melted butter and dill. Salt and pepper to taste. Roast potatoes for 35 to 40 minutes.

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