Hotel Butter and Fish, a Classic Combo
Feb 8th, 2008 | By Hank Shaw | Category: Cooking Basics, Fish | Comments | 6 Comments |
I am getting a lot of requests for fish recipes lately, and I was inspired by my Canadian doppelganger Kevin Kossowan’s decision last week to wallow in a simple-yet-fantastic roast chicken recipe. Over the years I have prepared fish in any number of ways: As a poor cub reporter, I got creative when the fish I pulled from Long Island’s Great South Bay were my main source of protein.
But if there is one recipe, one “I just gotta have this one down pat” recipe that absolutely every angler needs to be able to do correctly, it is this one: Sauteed fish with maitre d’hotel butter.
Why? Because once you have the “hotel butter” made, this recipe takes less than 10 minutes to come together. In fact, it can take less than five minutes with a thin fillet. Another reason: This dish works with every fish or shellfish known to mankind. I have done it with oily eels and bluefish, austere New England cod, luxurious Chesapeake blue crab, and in the picture above, California striped bass I caught last fall.
What makes hotel butter so versatile? It is a perfect combination of butter, parsley, lemon, salt and pepper – all the things you would normally think of when dressing clean, fresh fish you don’t want to mask. Once you make this butter, it will last in the fridge for up to two weeks tightly wrapped in plastic. All you do is slice off a ring and swirl it in your pan after the fish are done.
Here’s how you make this magical butter:
- Start with a stick of good, unsalted butter and let it come to room temperature.
- Zest a lemon. The one in the picture is a Meyer lemon, but any will do.
- Set the zest aside, covered in the fridge, then juice the lemon.
- Mince very fine enough fresh parsley to make 2 tablespoons.
- In a bowl, pour in 2 teaspoons lemon juice, the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and about a teaspoon fresh ground black pepper. Mix it.
- Cut the stick of butter into pieces and drop that into the bowl. Mash and mix it well until it is incorporated well.
- Lay out a piece of plastic wrap and plunk the butter mixture into its center, scraping the sides of the bowl to get as much as you can.
- Wrap the plastic around the butter and shape it to make a log. Twist the ends of the plastic to tighten it and then set it in the fridge to set hard.
- That’s it. When you need some, slice off a ring.
Now, how to saute the fish properly. That recipe is here. Enjoy!
I love these butters. The combinations are endless.
Oh, totally – I just wanted to start with the most basic version. I like adding a bit of anchovies or garlic, too.
Cool. Sounds wonderful and easy (especially since we are trying to eat more fish!).
2 questions:
- What is a Californian striped bass? Is just another name for striped bass?
- Where in Long Island can I reliably find Meyer lemon?
Thanks.
1. Yes, it’s the same fish I used to catch with eels off Fire Island Inlet. They planted stripers in California in the 1800s.
2. I haven’t the foggiest notion about Meyer Lemons on the Island; I’d try Whole Foods or some other specialty market. Or you can use regular lemons, with a smidge of orange juice mixed in.
Wallowing??!?
Solid advice. I don’t do compound butters enough. So simple, so effective, so versatile, so convenient.
I love fish. I really need to give this recipe a go.