In an effort to establish a healthier diet my wife and I have resolved to eat more fish. I still have a lot to learn about cooking fish, but I am already pretty proficient in making sauces. So I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, if a sauce for fish might be a good bit different than a sauce for meat, correct?
In general, sauces meant for meat are heartier, bolder and heavier than sauces meant for fish. That said, there can be a good deal of cross-over. I wouldn't hesitate to serve a chimichurri sauce on a piece of grilled fish. I might even try a Béarnaise sauce on a meaty fish like tuna.
But when you start working a lot of citrus and aromatics into your sauce, you are heading toward the fish side.
We were having orange roughy filets the other night, and I decided to improvise a sauce. Since I felt that baked fish might dry out a bit, I needed something moist. My solution was to combine diced San Marzano tomatoes with onions, spinach and garlic, and gently cook it with white wine. I reduced the liquid, but not entirely, and the result was a very serviceable sauce for the fish.
Surveying all the hundreds of possibilities on-line, I came up with a few recipes that had special appeal for me.
Since lemon is our foremost seafood partner, this creamy lemon zest sauce looked great. Working with the pan you used to cook the fish, pour in 3/4 cup of heavy cream with the grated zest of one lemon. Heat it to thicken the cream, then add one tablespoon of lemon juice and two tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley. Cook a while longer and you're good to go.
Sicily has been in my thoughts quite a bit this summer. They give us a sauce called Salmoriglio that was designed for their seafood. In a food processor, combine 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard and pulse it until smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of warm, soft unsalted butter, and then pour a slow steady stream of olive oil while you are running the blender. You will get a smooth flavorful sauce for your fish.
Although some folks don't care for cilantro, there are those who like it and admire its fresh aromatics. So a cilantro sauce is a very easy match for seafood. Here's a nice sauce idea featuring cilantro. Start by sautéing minced shallots and serrano peppers in butter. After about a minute stir in a half cup of whole milk and a cup of coarsely chopped cilantro leaves. Bring it to a simmer, and cook for about 8 minutes, constantly stirring. When the sauce has reduced by half, remove it from the heat and let it cool. Then you can stir in 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Finally, use a submersible blender to process the sauce until smooth.
I eat a fair amount of salmon, and I love a nice thick tangy sauce to go with it. So I'd like to try this. A dill sauce is a natural. Start by combining a 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain yogurt with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard and a tablespoon of creamy horseradish sauce. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and finish it with a tablespoon of fresh chopped dill. Tangy and tasty, it will work well with the meaty flavors of the salmon.
