If you haven’t had rockfish yet, stop right this minute and write it on your grocery list! No exaggeration… it is so good, buttery and rich, budget friendly (for fish that is) and easy to cook. I first had rockfish a a fancy restaurant many years ago, it was served with a red curry sauce made from scratch, and it was all very exotic in the days before the internet made these types of dishes more mainstream. It’s funny to look back and realize that there was a time where Thai curry of any sort was a strange and exotic treat, and rockfish wasn’t even available in the grocery store. Of course this could be because I live in Montana where we’re happily a decade behind everyone else, but sometimes I can’t even fathom how far the food movement has come in such a short time. I’m getting way off topic as usual, but I remember bringing back saffron and smoked paprika from San Francisco to make Paella before anyone I knew even knew what Paella was, (needless to say I used to be an oddity, and now it’s all just common knowledge). Overall I love the food movement going on with widespread food knowledge, and everyone wanting quality ingredients and easy healthy meals. The only thing that bugs me is the sky high price of certain ingredients like leeks and fennel that used to be so cheap, oh well… it’s a small price to pay considering all the benefits of the foodie movement. After all I now have access to rockfish and all sorts of Thai curry pastes, so I’m on board! This dish comes together in a flash, so I like to have my ingredients prepped before I start cooking. The veggies get laid out on a tray, drizzled with olive oil, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. They can sit there all prepped like that until you’re ready to go. The quick mushroom pan sauce can be fully made and kept warm on a back burner while you sauté the fish (or chicken cutlet). Having everything prepped like this gives you the full control of how things are going to go instead of freaking out as your veggies or worse your fish overcook while you frantically try to juggle fish, veggies, and sauce at the same time! Not that I speak from experience or anything, but the real secret to having a gorgeous plate of restaurant quality food is being prepped ahead. When everything is prepped, dinner comes together without stress – the sauce is just hanging out on the back burner keeping warm, the veggies roast away without you needing to do anything except monitor your fish on the stove top. When the fish is done, you simply assemble the plates and you’re done – it’s really that simple! My final tip for restaurant worthy plates is to keep it simple. This dish only has 1 component that really brings the main flavor, and that’s the mushroom pan sauce. By keeping it simple, the fish has a chance to shine only being enhanced by a simply sauce, and you have room to relax without having to make a main dish with complicated side dishes as well! Note: If you’re really not a fan of fish, (I would recommend trying rockfish if you haven’t) you can make this with chicken cutlets. To make your own chicken cutlets, take a boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut it in half lengthwise which will give you 2 chicken cutlets. You can use the chicken like this or pound it flatter by placing it between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and pounding it with a meat mallet. 5 from 3 reviews
