Friday, June 20, 2014

FFWD - Skate - err, Squid with Capers, Cornichons, and Brown Butter Sauce


Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside
I do like to be beside the sea!
I do like to stroll along the Prom, Prom, Prom!
Where the brass bands play:
"Tiddely-om-pom-pom!"
So just let me be beside the seaside
I'll be beside myself with glee
And there's lots of girls beside,
I should like to be beside
Beside the seaside!
Beside the sea!
 
J Glover-Kind

Does anyone remember the TV show called Ortons Music Hall?  I am dating myself, but that show was a regular feature in our house when I was a small child, and they always used to sing "I Do Like to Be Beside the Seaside", either at the beginning or the end of the show (can't remember which).  My favourite part was when they sang "Tiddely-om-pom-pom!"  They always seemed to be having so much fun - I wanted to be there.
Why the seaside reference?  We are having a very fishy month this June with French Fridays with Dorie.  I don't think I have eaten this much fish in my whole life.  My GP would be proud - I am getting all of that iodine that she says that I need.

This week was meant to be Skate (Ray) with Capers, Cornichons, and Brown Butter Sauce.  I went to three supermarkets and four speciality fish shops before admitting defeat and deciding that I would not be using skate in this recipe.  Instead, I reasoned that a ray fin must be like a squid in texture, and bought a squid tube to make this recipe.  Some later research informed me that this conclusion was entirely incorrect, but I had the squid now, so I marched on bravely and made the recipe with squid. 

And you know what?  It was delicious.  The recipe just involves frying up some fish (squid) and adding a lovely sauce made of browned butter, cornichons, capers and mustard.   Fabulous!!  The sauce is a keeper - any old fish can be jazzed  up very nicely with this tasty sauce - as can squid.

To see what the other Doristas thought of this dish, visit the LYL section of the website.

14 comments:

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Looks great with squid, too! I think this would work with so many kinds of fish or even chicken!

Mardi Michels said...

LOL I had to laugh at this ;) Glad it all worked out with the squid - I think that sauce would make anything taste amazing!

Anonymous said...

Kudos to you for the effort, I tried only one shop (my usual fish place) before giving up the search. By the looks of the posts I've read so far, we weren't the only ones who had to settle for a substitute. Luckily, as we all seem to be discovering, this sauce would taste good with pretty much anything.

Anonymous said...

Tiddely-om-pom-pom! Indeed!! How delightful. And your dish looks delightful too. I have never used squid tubes, though I see them at the fish counter all the time. I used tilapia, since that's what the website I looked at told me was the substitute. I thought it was very good as well, and I'm with you - that sauce would be good on any fish!

Mary Hirsch said...

Oh, Gaye, you and I agree on that sauce. I loved it too. You're right, any fish would be happy to be covered in that sauce. I couldn't score on the skate either and have never even seen it on a menu. That's why we stick with Dorie. She widens our horizons. I have never cooked a "squid tube" either. Glad you ended up with a good result. Good-bye to fish and we're moving on to July soon.

Susan said...

What a creative solution! I've had calimare steaks but didn't think of them for this dish - I'll bet it was just delicious!

Diane Zwang said...

I am glad your squid turned out tasty. I didn't get to make this but did the salmon rillettes instead.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

I hope you make it to Indianapolis one day! When you do, I hope we can meet up, too :)

Cakelaw said...

That would be perfect Liz!

Kathy said...

I’m really glad the squid worked well for you! It certainly looks delicious! I think the browned butter sauce would work well with any fish.
And your tea towels are delightful! Sounds like you had a great trip. Have a great weekend!

Jora said...

7 stores trying to find skate? You are amazing! I agree, this sauce would taste good on almost anything. I've never tried cooking squid at home. I'm glad to know it worked well.

Cher Rockwell said...

You get an A for effort. Squid was a neat choice!
I think this dish was all about the sauce, anyway :-)

Betsy said...

I never saw that show, but somehow I recognize the song. It made me smile. I think any fish was a fine substitute because the sauce was the star of the recipe anyway. Great job!

Kayte said...

So difficult sometimes to find the exact fish specified in a recipe. Especially here in land-locked Indiana, so I hear you on searching and not finding. The good thing is that subbing works usually. Your photo of it all looks really good.