Summer Fish with Toasted Fennel Honey Dijon Butter and Zucchini Ribbons

“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by little in their own time, turning into memories, mists from other days, until they were absorbed into oblivion.” ~~ Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

It seems fitting to use a quote from Love in the Time of Cholera as I am in the middle of reading this wonderful novel. It is also fitting to use this specific quote as I feel like  a bit of me disappeared little by little since November when I made my last blog post.  I'm often intrigued about how one can look up and realize how much time has suddenly passed by.  I was just discussing this very notion with my Mom concerning the fact that my son just graduated high school and is off to college out of state in August. Sometimes in the moments we notice time passing, we realize we have let ourselves stop doing the things we love or the things that interest us. Such is the case this week while cooking: I realized I had not taken the time to blog about cooking. And in that moment, I discovered that two of the things I truly love are cooking and writing about cooking. No wonder I felt as if something was missing since November!

Don't get me wrong, I have been cooking this entire time, but I have not spent the time to document my kitchen happenings. One of our sons gave me a kitchen binder to collect our family kitchen shenanigans, and I stumbled upon it the other day. I took the kitchen scrapbook-of-sorts out and decided not only do I need to be true to my blog, but I also need to begin filling this book as well. That being said, I will cut this post short and get to the recipe. For those that have enjoyed my posts in the past, I promise to post at the very least every two weeks. I love to hear from you when a recipe strikes a particular cord with you. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings!

Poached Fish with Toasted Fennel and Honey Dijon Butter - Served Over Rice with Zucchini Ribbons

When summer comes and the heat makes heavy meals seem unseemly, I lean toward the light, fresh meals that can be created with fish. This recipe can be made with any fish you like. I prefer a lighter-tasting fish with this butter, but you shouldn't hesitate to use something as strong and meaty as swordfish. For this recipe, you will need the following: 3 to 4 fish filets (I used Grouper this time); 1 cup dry white wine; 6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons fennel seeds; 2 tablespoons honey dijon mustard; 1/4 cup fresh parsley; 3 medium to large zucchini; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 clove garlic; salt and pepper.

Begin by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. I start by first preparing the butter. Heat a frying pan (use one large enough to accommodate the zucchini later) over medium heat. Place the fennel seeds in the pan without any oil or butter in order to toast them.  This should take about 5 minutes, and  you should stir them occasionally. The fennel seeds should start to turn a golden brown color and become very aromatic.

Once the fennel is toasted, place it in a mortar to cool for about 5 minutes.

While the fennel is cooling, place the softened butter, honey dijon mustard, and parsley that is finely chopped into a small bowl. Now, grind the toasted fennel with the mortar and pestle until it is a fine powder.

Add the ground, toasted fennel to the butter mixture.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend the butter mixture until all ingredients are fully incorporated. You can make this butter ahead of time and refrigerate it, but make sure you bring it to room temperature before you place it on fish.

Once the butter is complete, set it aside to begin the fish. Salt and pepper the fish to taste and place in a baking dish. Pour the wine over the fish and place in the oven. The fish should bake for roughly 15 minutes for thin filets. If you are using thicker filets like swordfish, adjust the time so the fish is flakey in the center.

While the fish is baking, begin the zucchini ribbons. The best and easiest way to make lengthwise zucchini ribbons is to use either a kitchen mandolin or a Y-shaped vegetable peeler.  I currently do not own either, so after trimming the ends off of the zucchinis, I careful used a chef's knife to hand slice ribbons. This was quite time consuming, and it has prompted me to invest in a good quality mandolin. After creating the ribbons, chop a clove of garlic.

In the same pan you used for toasting the fennel, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Sauté the garlic until slightly golden, place the zucchini ribbons into the pan, and add salt and pepper to taste. Sauté the ribbons until soft and slightly golden on the edges. It is easiest to use tongs to toss the ribbons while sautéing.

I chose to keep the seasoning on the zucchini ribbons very simple due to the heavily seasoned fennel butter I made for the fish. You will find it best to balance flavors rather than having flavors compete with each other.  You could season the zucchini ribbons differently depending on what you choose to serve with them.

Time to plate! For this dinner, I chose to serve the fish over brown and wild rice. You could just as easily use couscous, pasta or serve with a side of roasted new potatoes. Place a cannelle of toasted fennel and honey dijon butter on top of the filet. The butter will melt nicely and add a robust flavor to the fish. 

Enjoy!