“Whatever Fish is Available” Meunière

When you think about Kansas, you might be overcome with images of vast beach front, torquis blue water, palm trees, coconuts and daily caught fresh sea food, am I right? Of course not, this is KANSAS. There are no oceans, it’s literally the most landlocked state in the country. Seafood is a delicacy here, and if you want fresh seafood it’s an expensive one. We have all the usual popular varieties of fish such as salmon and trout, but beyond that it’s hard to come by good seafood unless you want to pay a hefty amount for it. Under some circumstances it’s justifiable, but for a typical Tuesday night dinner it’s not entirely worth the cost. That’s why this is called “Whatever Fish is Available” Meunière and not Sole Meunière - it’s just not available for consumption here. That being said, a good fish meunière can be made with whatever you have available, in the end it’s really all about the butter anyway.

“Whatever Fish is Available” Meunière (serves 2)

Ingredients:

2 filets of flakey white fish (barramundi, trout, flounder, sole, whitefish, tilapia)
1/4 cup flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon neutral oil (canola, vegetable)
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
lemon wedges

Instructions:

1. Season the fish, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt for both filets front and back and pepper to taste. Dredge fish in the flour and shake off any excess.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and oil over medium high heat in a frying pan. When the butter foam has subsided, place the filets in the hot butter. Depending on the thickness and type of fish, cook anywhere from 2 minutes to 4 minutes per side. The fish should flake when pierced with a fork. When finished, remove to a plate.

3. Add remaining butter to the pan and heat until foamy and sizzling. Meanwhile, sprinkle the parsley on the fish filets. When the butter foam has begun to subside, pour over the fish. The parsley should sizzle as the butter hits it. Serve with lemon wedges.