Fried fish

Tartar sauce

OK, confession time. I love fried fish. But not without some kind of delicious tartar sauce or aioli to heavily smear on every single bite. Seriously, the coating on the fish can be perfect, but it’s the calorie laden, mayo based, salty, creamy, often lemony, savory sauce that I really crave. And yes, I know, how very plebian that makes me. (Hey, I never claimed to be a gourmet!) But for as long as I can remember, tartar sauce has rocked my world. And I always, always ask for additional sauce when I order fried fish. Always! And sometimes the sauce is marvelous. Sometimes, not so much.

Now, over the years I have made a lot of tartar sauce, because my dear husband is as much of a “tartar sauce addict” as I am. (We are not proud of our addiction, but never-the-less, it is a fact.)

So, when Mr. C. brought home a lovely piece of black cod a couple of days ago, I decided to try yet another recipe for tartar sauce. (Can you ever have too many recipes for tartar sauce? Of course not!) And while I was at it, how about another try at the perfect coating for fried fish. Anyway, I came up with both these recipes and they were very tasty and truly complemented each other. The fish was delicious, and the tartar sauce was fabulous.

So, I hope you enjoy both these recipes.

Well, that’s it for today. Mr. C. has a gig in Oak Harbor this evening, so we are making it “date night”. That means I am being taken to dinner first at Frasers Gourmet Hideaway, and then to the gig to enjoy great jazz performed by the Herding Kats. I tell you folks; it just doesn’t get much better than great food and great jazz all on the same evening! Now, if I could just find or formulate the perfect recipe that would ensure universal peace, happiness, and fulfillment, with no suffering, injustice, or discrimination against anyone, that would truly make my day! Yours too, I bet!

In the meantime, and as always, peace and love to all.      

DILL PICKLE AND CAPER TARTAR SAUCE

½ c. mayonnaise

3-4 T. finely chopped dill pickle

1 T. fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

1 T. capers, finely chopped

½ tsp. dried dill

½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. Dijon mustard

pinch seasoned salt

freshly ground black pepper

Combine the mayonnaise, pickle, lemon juice, capers, dried dill, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, seasoned salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Stir until well blended and creamy.

Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking. Best if made at least an hour ahead.

CRISPIE FRIED FISH

½ c. yellow cornmeal

¼ c. unbleached all-purpose flour 

1½ tsp. celery salt 

1½ tsp. granulated garlic

½ tsp. granulated onion

1 tsp. lemon pepper

1 tsp. dried parsley

1½ lb. fish fillets

½ c. buttermilk

veggie oil

Whisk the cornmeal, flour, celery salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion, lemon pepper, and parsley together in a flat pan. (I use a 9-inch cake pan.)

In another shallow pan, gently coat the cod fillets with buttermilk.

Pour some oil in a large frying pan. (The oil should generously cover the bottom of the pan.) When the oil is hot, take fillets out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the cornmeal mixture. Gently lower them into the pan.  

Fry the fish 2-4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. (Thin fillets will take a shorter time, while thicker fillets will need up to 4 minutes per side.) Fish is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees, as recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can also tell if fish is cooked by its appearance and texture. The fish should be opaque, not translucent, and it should flake easily with a fork.   

Remove from pan and place the fried fillets on a paper towel lined baking sheet. Serve immediately with tartar sauce or aioli.