From the person who hates fish came a request for….
Wait for it….
Fish.
Mon mari has decided that, as he used to like fish, and it is good for us, perhaps he should like it again.
My job, that goes without saying, is to make certain that he doesn't have any 'bad' fish to put him off during this transition period.
Bad fish are fish with bones.
We need to ease into this carefully.
It's simple enough to do… Sort of.
When it comes to fish I am woefully ignorant so I just ask the fish monger.
Which is how we came to be eating Nile Perch the other night.
Pan-Fried Nile Perch with Capers and Lemon
Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- filet of Nile perch, enough for 2, 350gr, 12.5oz
- 1/3 cup flour
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3 tbs butter
- 3 tbs capers
- 1 tbs lemon juice
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 tbs fresh tarragon, snipped
- 1 tbs fresh garlic chives, snipped
Instructions:
- Cut the fish into pieces – easier to handle
- Put the flour and paprika on a plate and mix well.
- Over medium-high heat 1 tbs butter in a large nonstick skillet
- Rinse fish and pat dry.
- When butter is sizzling and just starting to color dip both sides of fish in flour and add to pan.
- Sauté 3 – 4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
- When nicely browned and done remove to a platter
- Add remaining butter, capers, lemon juice, herbs and lemon slices to skillet. Quickly stir, loosening and browned bits.
- Spoon over fish and serve.
This is the view from my desk – rain, rain and more rain.
There was a brief pause in the rain yesterday. Mon mari had roto-tilled this little patch beside the house a week or so ago (during another pause in the rain).
Since the puppies destroyed my herb garden last fall, and there is no hope of keeping them out of it in the current location, I'm moving it.
So I spent the 3 hour lull in the rain laying out my new garden, moving the surviving plants and sticking them in the mud.
This is what my herb garden used to look like. I won't show you what it looks like now…..
I put chicken wire on top of the little wooden fence, which made it difficult for me to get at the herbs but didn't even slow down the puppies. I'm using the little wooden fence to make paths in the new garden.
As long as I'm talking about puppy mischief / damage, I trimmed the hedge.
They decided, last fall, that it was fun to jump on top of the hedge.
I gave it a serious clipping, but you can still see where they did a lot of damage. I'm hoping that it will grow back…. If I can keep them out of it.
Mon mari has been staying out of the rain and mud. He refinished the cabinet in the dining room. It's a large cabinet, cut into the wall. (Remember, the walls are stone, 2 feet thick) To give you an idea, the greyish cabinet in front of it is almost 6 feet high
And if it ever stops raining, here's the fence waiting for him…..
If it ever stops raining….
What a clever idea to use the little wooden fence for paths through the new garden! I’m sure you are heartily sick of rain and wet puppies. I’ll try sending you some good weather vibes. Hang tough.
Oh, and a fish that fish haters usually love is halibut – it’s mild and has very few bones.
It has rained hard all day here too – my doggies have got cabin fever even though I have whizzed them out for 2 quick walks when it has slowed to a drizzle !!
So, how does Nile perch differ from lake perch or ocean perch? Hope all the rain you are getting now doesn’t mean you won’t be getting in the summer months.
Puppies? Those horses are n o t puppies. 🙂
Really nice and easy way to make tasty fish. Thanks!
Waiting for the flood of Realtors (Realtor cavalcade?) to come through in the first showing of our “staged” house. Very traumatic, but the house looks fabulous. Jolie the cat and I have to go away for four hours. Gonna be hard on her.
Hope your rain stops.Ours just started this week and apparently is going to go on forever. 🙁
Best regards,
Chuck
Nile perch is a fish I often make for the girls. Exactly because it is not a “bad” fish.
He just decided to like fish? I wish I could just decide I like fish. My life and the life of everyone close to me would be so much easier. Alas, my attempts to eat fish have always been met with violent reactions from my taste buds. Oddly enough, the older I get, the more sensitive I become to fishy flavors, which is weird because they say your tastebuds become less senstive as you age. Go figure.
You made me laugh about the bone thing. My husband only eats certain types of fish. I really don’t kow one fish from the other, but I have learned when I buy fish for him that I should buy FLAT fish rather than THICK fish. Something that’s a thick slab like a salmon – Bad. Something thin and falilng apart like tilapia or flounder – good. OH wait. It looks like I know my fish better than I think I do.
Your garden is lovely. Good luck keeping the woofers out of it!
`My husband would surely agree with ton Mari’s definition of bad fish! Your Nile perch (perch?) looks great!
Zoomie, thanks for the fish tip… and the little fences really work well (I hope). As to the rain – bored, bored puppies
manningroad, we really can’t tell them to go watch TV – and I’m running out of ideas.
Gary, all I know is that it’s a fairly big fish – one filet was more than enough for the 2 of us, unlike the smaller perch.
Brassfrog, here it’s just the opposite, when our house was for sale we did the showing, and had to be present all the time. Sympathies for the rain…. – And good luck with the house!
Meredith, we liked it – we’ll search for more ‘good’ fish.
Rachel, he likes fish, as long as there are no bones…. One bone and he quits eating. He loves salmon (no bones) I’m not very good with fish, either. Rabbits and doggies banned from the garden.
Baking Soda, it seems to be a common theme….