Grilled Perch & Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad

Grilled Perch And Pesto Pasta Salad

Grilled asparagus adds a light smoky, grassy flavour twist to traditional basil pesto. The fish cooks quickly so have all of the salad ingredients ready before you head out to the grill.  

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs (680 g) asparagus
1/2 cup (125 mL) olive oil, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) walnuts, divided
10 oz (285 g) curly short pasta, such as cappelletti, radiatore or fusilli
1 cup (250 mL) packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 small clove garlic
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb (455g) perch fillets, about 8 to 12
6 cups (1.5 L) coarsely shredded romaine lettuce
2 radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
1 sweet yellow pepper, halved and cut into thin strips
4 lemon wedges
Directions:
Trim tough ends from asparagus. In a shallow dish, toss asparagus with 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil and salt and pepper. Chop 1/4 cup (60 mL) walnuts coarsely and place on a small piece of foil.

Grill asparagus, turning occasionally, for 5 minutes or until lightly charred. Place foil with walnuts on grill alongside asparagus and toast for 2 to 3 minutes. Return asparagus to dish and let cool.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 9 minutes or according to package directions, just until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool. Drain well.

Cut asparagus spears so tip ends are 4 inches (10 cm) long. Set aside for salad. Chop remaining ends in half to make just under 1 cup (250 mL). Chop a few tip pieces, if necessary, to make up the volume.

Transfer chopped ends to a food processor or high-speed blender. Add remaining untoasted walnuts, the basil and garlic, and pulse until finely chopped. Add lemon juice, then, with motor running, pour in remaining olive oil through hole in lid and purée until fairly smooth. Add more oil, as necessary, to make a just-pourable pesto. Season with 1/4 tsp (1 mL) each salt and pepper.

Set 3 tbsp (45 mL) pesto aside for fish (cover and refrigerate). Toss pasta and Parmesan with remaining pesto in a large bowl. Set aside. (Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.)

Preheat barbecue to medium-high. Place heavy-duty foil or a reusable grilling sheet on a baking sheet; brush foil or sheet generously with oil. Arrange perch fillets, skin side down, on oiled foil or sheet, and brush tops with reserved pesto.

Slide foil or grilling sheet with fish onto grill. Close lid and grill for 4 to 5 minutes, without turning, or until perch is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Slide sheet back onto baking sheet.

Add romaine to pasta and toss. Drizzle with more oil to moisten. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among serving plates; top with asparagus, radishes, if using, and peppers. Use a thin spatula to lift fillets off the skin and foil. Stack perch fillets on salads and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Serve with lemon wedges.   Serves 4

Crispy Lake Erie Perch Dinner, Celery Bread And Tartar Sauce

Crispy Lake Erie Perch ~ Canadian Style

Lake Erie fried fish brings back many memories as it takes me back to the area where I was lucky enough to cottage as a kid. Fish-fry cookouts make me seriously nostalgic for those times when neighbours would hang out and bathing suits were the uniform all summer long. This recipe is inspired by the mainstay perch plate at Port Dover’s Perch Patio in the Erie Beach Hotel.
Ingredients:

1 egg
½ cup (125 mL) milk
½ to ¾ cup (125 to 175 mL) fine bread crumbs*
(Personally I prefer crushed fine saltine crackers)
¾ lb (340 g) fresh yellow perch, skinned and boned, cut into strips
Generous pinches of salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) each butter and vegetable oil
Celery Bread (recipe follows)
Homemade Pickled Tartar Sauce (recipe follows)
Lemon wedges, for squeezing

Directions:

In a shallow bowl, whisk egg with milk. In another shallow dish, spread out bread crumbs. Sprinkle fish with salt. Working in batches, dip fish pieces in egg-mixture then bread crumbs. Set on a plate.

Coat a heavy-bottom frying pan with 1 tbsp (15 mL) each oil and butter set over high heat. Cooking in batches, add about a third of fish. Adjust heat, as needed. 

Cook until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove to plates. Continue with 2 more batches, adding more oil and butter, as needed. Serve with Celery Bread, Tartar Sauce and lemon wedges. Add crunchy coleslaw or a fresh green salad alongside, if you like.   Makes 2 servings

Celery Bread
A Port Dover tradition, this celery-scented bread is a virtually effortless sidekick for a fish plate.

3 bread slices, 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick
1 tbsp (15 mL) melted butter
½ to 1 tsp (2 to 5 mL) celery seed
Generous pinches of salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Cut each bread slice into 3 large rectangular pieces. Brush bread all over with butter. Sprinkle bread evenly (all over) with celery seed, salt and pepper. Arrange over a large baking sheet.

Bake prepared bread in centre of preheated oven until golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Makes 2 servings

Homemade Pickled Tartar Sauce
Add extra salty-pickle goodness by simply stirring in a bit of brine. For a more traditional version, use 1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped capers in place of the pickle brine.
Ingredients:
½ cup (125 mL) mayonnaise
3 tbsp (45 mL) finely chopped dill pickles
1 tbsp (15 mL) pickle brine
½ shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) Dijon mustard
½ tsp (2 mL) lemon zest

Directions

Stir mayo with pickles, brine, shallot, Dijon and zest in a small bowl. Tartar sauce will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.    Makes ¾ cup (175 mL) tartar sauce

Perch .... The delicacy of Lake Erie

Perch

Tonight we are hosting a dinner party for a friend and her niece who is visiting from Michigan. Visitors to the area of Lake Erie where we spend summers come for one thing, a Lake Erie perch dinner. Perch is a small fish but has a very delicate taste. Everyone has there own method of preparation. Many deep fry their perch which has been dipped in a liquid batter. I personally think this is not healthy and looses the benefit of eating fish. Often the fish is over cooked and becomes tough. Other perch I have eaten has the batter dominating the flavor of the fish. I will share my method of preparation which many have asked for "my recipe" which actually is the recipe my mother used to prepare the perch.

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Ingredients:

Perch fillets

Saltine cracker crumbs

whipped egg

Mazola Corn Oil

salt

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Directions:

Whip egg until well mixed. I make cracker crumbs in my food processor. Process until the cracker have become rather fine crumbs, not a powder fine crumb. Large crumbs do not adhere as well. I might compare to a dry rice sized crumbs.

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Dip fillets in whipped egg and then coat with cracker crumbs. Arrange on a cookie sheet in layers lined and layered with waxed paper. Refrigerate for at least one hour. This allows the breading to adhere to the fish and is not lost in the frying pan when cooked.

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Heat oil in frying pan. When oil is hot and not smoking, add fillets flesh side down. Turn fillets when flesh has turned a light golden. Season with salt at this time. As soon as the thickest part of the fillet starts to fleck apart or separate, the fillet is done cooking. Remove fillets from skillet to a platter lined with a paper towel. Serve immediately with or without tartar sauce.