I generally tend to buy whatever is fresh at my local fish market and when I saw fresh, wild, Flounder the other night I picked up a few pieces! Freshness is always number one from a fish buying perspective, but the wild factor is a close second (fish that is on sale is also nice!).
Flounder has a meaty and mild texture (and is native to the Atlantic here on the East Coast) and is best prepared in a simple manner, like most fish. By simple I mean the following:
– Line your baking tray with alumni foil
– Spray the foil with a little Pam cooking spray
– Lay fish on foil and sprinkle with salt (kosher) and freshly ground pepper
– Drizzle olive oil over fish
– Place
in oven (400 degrees) for 5-10 minutes (take the fish out once you see
it turn white) – Flounder is usually cut very thin and does not require
a long cooking time
Growing up in an Italian household, fresh Fennel was on our kitchen countertop from early November through the end of January. My mother presented it raw (after dinner as a digestivo), roasted, and, my favorite, in a salad. I’ve modified my mother’s fennel salad recipe (which is very basic: vinegar, salt, and pepper) below:
– remove the fennel stalk and outer skin (don’t throw away the stalk
<use for stock> or outer skin <wash well and eat raw>) and
thinly slice in long strips
– thinly slice 3-4 radishes
– pick the leaves off of a bunch of fresh Italian parsley (about a handful)
For the dressing:
– 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (not the fancy authentic kind, but the generic stuff)
– 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil
– 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard (Grey Poupon, for example)
– 1 clove of garlic smashed and diced very, very fine
– 1 splash of red wine vinegar
Add the salt and pepper first followed by the Balsamic and red wine
vinegar (this will help dissolve the salt). Next, add the olive slowly
and whisk. Finally, add the mustard and whisk once more.
