With fish available on a steady basis around here, just caught by a family or friend fisherman, on beds of ice in seafood sections at supermarkets or various local fishmongers, as well as taken from our own freezers, most of us eat it fairly frequently.
So last week, we were talking about ways for using any that’s left over.
Time, then, to fish through our collections for uncooked fish how-to. Meanwhile, we’re lucky enough have a go-to recipe right here that’s a real humdinger, particularly this time of the year when the weather is too futzy, wet and cold to cook outside.
Besides, most of our barbecues have already been stashed away for months to come.
Everett cook Nancy Thurman passed this great treatment along to us some years ago, and it was so popular, we brought it back again March 30, 2007.
She told us originally, “A while back, you had recipes in the Forum for halibut chowder. It brought to mind a delicious halibut recipe that I have had for years and would like to share.
“Some of the fish markets will have ‘chunks’ of halibut that are the trimming cuts and will work great for this recipe. If your guests like fish, it’s a good company dinner. I often serve it with steamed little reds and a fresh veggie.”
Obviously, this recipe was designed for halibut, but it made such a hit with the Kruse eaters that we started branching out with other fish.
Thanks to oldest son Morgan’s gift, we next had it with a beautiful slab of sturgeon and found out it was every bit as good (maybe even better?) than the halibut. Failing the sturgeon or some halibut, we went on to ling cod, snapper, sole and even salmon.
The type of fish used really made no major difference — it was delicious with everything we tried. Obviously, we recommend it highly and enjoyed another meal of it just the other night. This time out, we used some salmon my husband had caught, rounded out on our plates with that favorite old-timer, fried hominy, and a bowl of Waldorf salad.
Conclusion — you don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t try Nancy’s:
Tanaku halibut
3 pounds halibut fillets
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning
1/4 curry powder
1 cube (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
1 cup fresh mushrooms, divided
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream or mayonnaise (or a mixture of both)
Rinse fillets and pat dry; cut into 4-inch by 4-inch chunks and place in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle onion, seafood seasoning and curry powder evenly over fish. Place a small slab of butter on the fish pieces. Spread a few of the mushrooms over fish. Cover with the cheese. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the soup and sour cream or mayonnaise (or a mixture of both) until blended well; stir in the remaining mushrooms.
Cover fish with the soup mixture and bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 45 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
Now that we’re pretty much limited to cooking our fish on either the stovetop or in the oven for who knows how long, do you have some kitchen-cooked fish recipes to share? If so, don’t hesitate to send them along to Judyrae Kruse at the Forum, c/o The Herald, P.O. Box 930, Everett, WA 98206, or kruse@heraldnet.com.
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.
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