Day: October 22, 2009

Due to some crazy circumstances in my life the episode about the Seafood Throwdown from September is finally airing tonight!  Inspired Cooking airs on Channel 12, Cape Ann TV, on Tuesday evenings at 8:30, Friday afternoons at 4:30 and Sunday mornings at 11:30–I hope you will tune in!  Here are the recipes for all of the components of the winning dish.

Panko Crusted Haddock with Gremolata

For the fish:

2 c. panko crumbs

1 lemon, zested and juiced, zest finely chopped

2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder (for the throw down I used fresh garlic, very finely chopped)

11/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk or light cream

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound skinless haddock or cod filet, cut into 3 pieces

In a medium bowl, whisk together crumbs, zest, juice, parsley, garlic powder. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in to a shallow dish, such as a pie plate and set aside.

In another shallow dish, whisk together egg and milk. Season with salt and pepper if desired.

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, combine butter and oil. Dip fish into the egg mixture to cover completely and then press in to crumb mixture. Turn fish over and repeat. Press crumbs into fish if necessary. When butter and oil is melted and hot, cook fish about 5 minutes until crumbs are browned and fish is partially cooked. Flip over and cook second side for an additional 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Cooking times vary with thickness of fish. Remove to serving plate and top with a drizzle of gremolata.

For the gremolata:

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest, finely chopped

Olive oil (traditional gremolata has no olive oil but I wanted it a little looser)

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine parsley, garlic and lemon zest in a small bowl and add just enough olive oil to make the mixture liquid enough to drizzle on the fish. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This can be doubled or tripled as needed.

Grilled Vegetable Napoleon with Goat Cheese

1 ear corn, silk removed husk left on

1 tablespoon softened butter

Salt and pepper to taste

2 oz crumbled goat cheese

3 springs rosemary, leaves stripped from stem to within 2″ from the top, leaves finely chopped, stems reserved

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 whole eggplant (about 4″ in diameter), sliced in 1/2″ in slices

1 whole summer squash or zucchini, sliced in 1/2″ slices

2-4″ diameter tomatoes, in 1/4″ slices

Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to medium high heat. Pull back husks of corn and rub kernels with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Pull husks back up over kernels and tie top with one of the husks to from a covering over the kernels. Grill corn for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently. Remove from grill and allow to cool. Using a sharp knife, cut kernels from ear and set aside to cool completely. When cool, combine with goat cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In the meantime, prepare the marinade for the vegetables. In a large bowl, combine chopped rosemary, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Toss eggplant and summer squash with dressing and grill on preheated grill or grill pan about 5 minutes per side until softened. Remove from heat and set aside. On the serving plate, build your napoleons. Layer grilled vegetables and then one slice tomato, and repeat. Trim the reserved rosemary stems to the height of the napoleon and insert into the center of the stack. Sprinkle the stack with the corn and goat cheese combination and enjoy!

Sauteed Swiss Chard

2-3 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon shallots, finely chopped (for the throw down we used small Walla Walla onions because there were no shallots available)

1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped into 2″ pieces, stems set aside.

Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large saute pan over medium heat, combine olive oil, garlic and shallots. Cook until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.. Add the stems to the pan, toss in the oil and cook for about 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add chopped leaves and cover until wilted, about 4-6 minutes. Toss mixture again to flavor the leaves with the garlic and oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with fish and vegetable napoleons.