Fish heads, fish heads. With or without tarragon.

[serinde]

I've been making more fish recently, because though it's not particularly cheap in comparison to say chicken, the cost:health ratio (at least for the less-expensive varieties) is pretty good. Specifically, there's been a lot of tilapia action.

On the advice of the cookbook from the crazy fisherman guy whose store is by the b00zemart, my usual has been to bake it in white wine and varying flavor additives at 350 for about 15 minutes. Tonight, I sauteed a clove of garlic in oil, added tarragon when the garlic was almost cooked, added white wine that'd had fresh chopped ginger soaking in it to deglaze the pan, and poured it over the fish which I'd already sprinkled with herbs de Provence. This proved pretty popular. I am, however, starting to realize that tarragon is just not my favorite, at least not as a primary: it's too liquorice-y. I think it can do well as a background flavor, though--I have very fond memories of Battlefield Bakery's chicken-tarragon pasties at Pennsic. Oh how I miss that place.

Experiment the second: what to put on sugar snap peas. Most of the sauces I had might have been tasty, but they would have overwhelmed the fish. In happy inspiration, I tossed them in some whiskey honey mustard just before serving. This, too, proved popular. Yay.

Served with Whole Paycheck grilled gazpacho, mushroom couscous, and rolls.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Ain't there a Trader Joe's near ya? Just as good as Whole Paycheck, but a lot cheaper.

If you can ever get fresh fennel, it really makes white fish like tilapia rock.

[syringavulgaris.livejournal.com]

There is (though it's small), and I patronize it wholeheartedly. But I really like the Whole Paycheck grilled gazpacho, see.

Fennel is something I haven't worked with much. (I take it you mean the frondy bits, not the bulb? I've heard you can have fun with the bulb, too.)

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

The bulb. You shave it or mince it. It's like a cross between celery and onion, kinda.