Thursday, May 3, 2012

FFwD: Almond Flounder (ahem, Tilapia) Meuniere

Matt had to go to a conference in DC for the week, so, in the name of pantry-and-freezer-emptying, I seized the masochistic opportunity to eat a stockpile of Nutrisystem meals that have been sitting around for over a year. I look at those boxes and see dollar signs, and I just can't bring myself to throw them out. They're nasty, though. Really nasty.

I don't mean to come down too hard on Nutrisystem. For some reason--desperation? a less-refined palate?--I didn't gag on them in the past. NS served me well both times I used it, and helped me lose 20+ pounds pre-wedding, then post-baby. Also, it always slaps me in the face with how few fruits and vegetables I eat in a day, when left to my own devices. Maybe it's because I'm just eating the meals to eat them, rather than as a means to an end, but I'm having a really hard time swallowing them. They may start accidentally falling in the trash can. hehe. Anyway. What this all leads up to is that, after a few of these wretched meals, I was really, really looking forward to this week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe: Almond Flounder Meuniere (pg 290 of Around My French Table.) I couldn't get my hands on flounder, so I used tilapia, for no reason other than that the cutlets were fairly flat, and I have it in my head, with no proof, that flounder is, too.

This fish couldn't be easier to prepare. Brush some egg yolk on one side of the fish, then dredge it in a mixture of ground almonds, flour, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. I had no lemons, so I took a chance and used orange zest. It was a delicious impulse. The fish is then cooked for a few minutes on each side in browned butter. YUM. I'm just sad that I haven't made this dish sooner. It's so easy and so tasty.

Conclusion: Loved it.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for a catch-up recipe that I made last week. My freezer-purge finally prompted me to cook Short Ribs in Red Wine and Port (pg 254). Months ago, I bought frozen short ribs from the grass-fed beef guy at my farmer's market. I came home, threw them in my freezer, and haven't touched them since.
Who wants a fat sandwich?
I won't get too involved with the preparation, since it's so far in the past for everyone else, but I hated the outcome. I must have skimmed six inches of grease off the surface of the broth, and there were still great globules of fat on the bones. My stomach lurched just looking at them, and then when they turned out to just taste like stew beef (my most loathed enemy), I gave up and ate a bowl of Cheerios for dinner instead. For the record, Matt liked it. I hope the memory stands by him, because he's never having it again. ha!

Conclusion: Hated it.

14 comments:

  1. Haha, I really like the lead-up to your tilapia story and find it amusing because I've always wondered what kind of people go on a Nutrisystem diet...and NOW I know! :) Tilapia was to be my second choice after I couldn't get hold of any flounder too, but there wasn't any so now it's a toss between salmon and seabass. Btw, I'm doing my post tomorrow...late again!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh dear. Sometimes freezer cleanout food isn't as pleasant as it should be (which is probably why it has to be cleaned out of the freezer...) Sigh.
    Have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so with you this week... loved the fish, hated the short ribs. I just don't get it with short ribs & stew, I often feel like I'm the only one in the room who doesn't get the joke when it comes to these foods so I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I gave up a couple years ago on freezer clean out and just dump it when it needs to be cleaned anymore. I guess I also don't buy/freeze as much any more as we have changed our shopping habits and try to buy for a couple days at a time since we were wasting so much before, it's a pain though as I don't have everything at my fingertips if I get a whim to make something.

    I found your NS story quite amusing - I've heard it works,but just can't bring myself to eat boxed food. I've now decided in my 40's that the extra fat in my face is a great wrinkle fighter ;)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sometimes when I go thru the freezer I wonder why I thought it was such a good idea to freeze a
    particular leftover and it goes directly into trash. (When no one is around, of course.) Other times
    some things taste pretty good. I just wish I could learn to not cook as much. I guess habits are
    hard to break after all these years. That tilapia looks very good as do your short ribs.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Ei, How did we segue from Nutrisystem in the first few paragraphs to "great globules of fat" in the last paragraph? That's too funny. Ei, we've got to get over this "being overly thrifty" trait. We've got to give it up. I drive my daughter crazy with some of "my thrifty and saving ways". And, the young gals, although very prudent and conservative in their spending, would not dream of saving some of the things I still do. I stopped washing out Ziplock bags when Oprah said she was going to stop doing it also. Old dogs/New tricks are hard. I thought the fish was delicious also. Orange zest? Good idea.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ahhh too bad for the short ribs! I still have that recipe to try out. Love that you loved the fish too! I miss having tilapia - it is very expensive here in England and totally not worth it when there are other great fish to eat as well.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The tilapia looks brilliant...the short ribs not so much. I can't believe you're pounding through those nutrisytem meals...BLEH! At least your freezer will be empty when its all over!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Flounder is flat, in fact, check out a picture of it swimming. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flounder

    I really loved the fish and I'm glad that you loved it, especially to counteract the short ribs.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love this dish too and I am glad that I managed to get some flounder fillet to make it !!! I wish I had tried it out earlier. After reading what nutrisystem is all about, I think I rather fast than to eat them :p Have a great Sunday !

    ReplyDelete
  11. The fish looks good! It is hard for me to throw food away also. I have a bunch of stuff my mother brught me from Taiwan that I can't eat because they all have msg, but somehow, I can't throw them away...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sorry that the short ribs weren't to your liking. And, I noticed a lot of bloggers subbing in different fish, like sole. I used tilapia as well!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Your fish looks good and I'll use tilapia sometimes because its so readily available and the price is right! We DID enjoy the flounder however. I go through the freezer clean out periodically but not as often as I should or it wouldn't be so stressful! Enjoyed the info on NS.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This fish was definitely a keeper! So good and so easy

    ReplyDelete