Gut the Fish

Timbers team chef Rich Meyer's pan-seared flounder recipe

Who's hungry?
Timbers.Training101019.CM155

We asked team chef Rich Meyer to concoct something... unique to satisfy our hunger.

His green-and-gold classic:

Pan-Seared Flounder

Ingredients

1 each “dressed” flounder or sole
3 each Yukon gold potatoes
1 golden beet
1 cup assorted peas (snap, English, snow)
1⁄2 cup each fresh green herbs, Italian parsley, tarragon, marjoram
1⁄2 cup Extra virgin olive oil 1 Lemon
1 cup AP
1 clove garlic
Salt and Pepper

Instructions

To begin this dish, we need to roast our beet and cook our potatoes for our puree. Place the beet in a small pan with a 1⁄4 inch of water, salt and black pepper (I like to add sweet spices, clove, allspice, juniper, etc). Cover pan tightly with foil and place in a

400 degree oven for 45 minutes or until beet is tender. Remove beet from pan and let cool for a minute or two before you peel it. To Peel, place warm beet in a clean dish towel and rub skin off with towel. Reserve beet for later.

Peel and place potatoes in pot large enough to cover with water, add pinch of salt. Bring potatoes to a boil; cook until tender. When soft, strain water off, and puree with cream and butter. Cover and reserve in a warm place.

For the sauce verte or “green sauce” there are tons of different versions or ideas of this sauce. This version is quite simple. If you have a blender, that would work, if you don’t, this could all be chopped by hand as well. Place all green herbs in blender with 1 clove garlic and blend on high adding good olive oil. Add enough oil to get the sauce moving in the blender. Season with salt and pour in a container larger enough to hold. Squeeze 1⁄2 lemon into green sauce and taste; adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

Quickly blanch peas in salted boiling water strain and reserve.

For the “dressed” flounder or sole, this means that the fish has its head and its fins removed, otherwise left whole. You can certainly do this dish with a simple filet of fish as well. Warm heavy bottom sauté pan on the burner. Season fish with salt and coat with flour evenly. Add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add fish to the pan and sear for 3 minutes on the top side until nicely golden brown. Carefully turn fish over and finish cooking 2-3 minutes on this side or until fish is cooked through. Remove fish from pan and place on paper towel to remove excess oil.

Now that you have prepared all the components , it’s time to put everything together on the plate, keep in mind if you need to warm any of the items up do that while you are cooking the fish.

PTFC Cafe | Chef Rich's special SEAvPDX Week Pan-Seared Flounder -
PTFC Cafe | Chef Rich's special SEAvPDX Week Pan-Seared Flounder -