There are not too many ingredients. Great for a weeknight.
Wild Alaskan pollock fillets are difficult to find in a US grocery store. Most of the US pollock catch is turned into a value added product like fish sticks, breaded fillets, fish sandwiches, or imitation crab. Some grocery stores (Kroger, Walmart, Giant Eagle, to name a few) do carry individually quick frozen (IQF) Alaskan pollock fillets, which are typically products of China. That is what I used in this recipe, but I was able to find an online retailer of USA caught and processed Alaskan pollock at Elk USA. If you’re not up to doing a bulk order of pollock online or just want to try it out first, the grocery store product will work just fine.
This recipe is a classic, French dish typically made with sole. However, pollock works very well with this preparation. The fillets are delicate so take care when handling, flipping, and plating the fillets. Pollock has a mild, nutty, buttery flavor that goes well with the lemon-butter sauce. All the ingredients are kitchen staples and it takes about 20 minutes from start of preparation to plating to make. This is one of my go-to weeknight recipes because the fillets thaw quickly and it is so fast to make. Serve with warm bread and steamed seasonal vegetables. Bon appetit!
[panel]Recipe:3-4 pollock fillets
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp pepper
8 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp fresh, minced parsley
lemon wedges to garnish
Combined flour, salt, and pepper in shallow dish. Dredge pollock fillets in flour mixture so they have a light coating. [/panel]
The pollock fillets floured and ready for the fry pan.
Heat two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy frying pan until butter foam begins to subside. Put fillets in, skin side up, until bottom side is golden brown (about one minute). Carefully flip fillets and cook another 1-2 minutes. Wipe out pan and repeat for remainder of fillets. Place fillets on large (warmed, preferably) platter.
To make the sauce, wipe out pan. Melt 4 tablespoons butter and add the lemon juice. Pour sauce over fillets. Sprinkle fillets with parsley and garnish with lemon wedges or slices. Dinner is served.
Complete the dish with chopped parsley and fresh lemon slices.
Yup, it’s that easy to make. This recipe servers 3-4. Simply increase proportionally for more people assuming 1 fillet per person. This is a rich meal as presented, but you can decrease the butter and increase the olive oil, if desired. Do not eliminate the butter, however. The butter flavor complements and accentuates the pollock flavor.
(Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma Fillets of Sole Meuniere)
