Chef Gord Harris,
Prairie Ink Restaurant and Bakery
This mild fish readily absorbs flavours from complementary dill sauce and fragrant rice pilaf.
Ingredients
Dill Cream Sauce
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
kosher salt
pepper
Filling
1/2 cup julienne red onion
1 Tbsp oil
2 small portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced on the bias
2 cups fresh spinach, wilted in a pan
kosher salt
pepper
Fish
8 fillets of baby pickerel
flour for dredging
kosher salt
pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
Rice Pilaf
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup diced carrot
1/4 cup diced celery
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 Tbsp crushed garlic
3/4 cup basmati rice
1 bay leaf
1 1/4 cups water
1 tsp kosher salt
Method
Sauce
1. In a small sauce pot over medium-high heat, sauté onion in oil until soft.
2. Add wine and reduce by half.
3. Add cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 mins until sauce thickens slightly.
4. Add remaining ingredients and adjust seasoning to taste.
Filling
1. In a medium pot over medium-high heat, sauté onions in oil for 2 mins until soft.
2. Add mushrooms and sauté for 3 mins until cooked.
3. Add wilted spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
Fish
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F.
2. Season pickerel and dredge in flour.
3. In a large pan over medium-high heat, sear fillets until lightly browned for 2-3 mins per side.
4. Place the fillets on a non-stick sheet pan or a pan lined with parchment paper. Divide filling into quarters and place each portion onto 4 fillets.
5. Top each fillet with remaining 4 fillets.
6. Bake for 10 mins.
7. Top with dill cream sauce.
Rice
1. In a medium pot, sauté all vegetables with butter, turmeric and garlic for 2 mins.
2. Add rice and bay leaf and continue to sauté for another 2 mins stirring frequently.
3. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce to low heat simmering until rice is done, approximately 13-15 mins.
4. Serve with pickerel.
Yield 4 servings