BigCityBoyfriend enjoys fishing – and by enjoy, I mean he has a bone-deep, overwhelming, all-consuming obsession with “ocean hunting”.  I’m not complaining.  Fishing gets him out of the house for days at a time, gives him time with the dudes on the open water and allows me to get all sorts of important things done (like lying on the beach, shopping or drinking wine with my girlfriends).  The best part of the whole arrangement is pounds upon pounds of the freshest fish you can imagine – tuna, swordfish, mahi mahi, striped bass and my personal favorite – fluke.   Eat up!  bigcitybelle

Shrimp Stuffed Fluke with Herb Sauce

6 medium flounder fillets (flounder works nicely too)

1 ½ lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 bag baby spinach

3 cloves  garlic, diced

1 pint fish stock

½ c. fat free half-and-half

½ c. dry white wine

2 tbsp. all purpose flour

1 c.  fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

2 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

note: save time and toss all the herbs in the food processor

Juice of ½ a lemon

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Old Bay Seasoning

Preheat oven to 400°

Sauté the garlic and spinach in olive oil over medium heat until the spinach has wilted and the garlic has softened.  Drain excess liquid and set aside.  Add 1 lb. shrimp to the food processor and chop until coarsely ground (about 4-5 pulses).  Combine the ground shrimp to the spinach mixture. 

Season both sides of each fluke fillet with salt, pepper and Old Bay.  Place about 2 tbsp. of the filling in the center of the fillet.  Fold the fillet over the filling, thick end first and place in a greased baking dish seam side down.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the fish is opaque and the shrimp has turned pink.

Add flour and 1 tbsp. flour to a saucepan.  Whisk over medium heat until the flour is slightly browned (about 1 minute).  Slowly add the fish stock and cook until slightly thickened, whisking often.  Add herbs, wine, half-and-half and lemon juice.  Season liberally with salt and pepper.   Add the remaining ½ lb. whole shrimp to the sauce and cook until pink (1-2 minutes). 

Remove stuffed fillets from the baking dish and place on a serving platter.  Cover the fillets with the herb sauce and whole shrimp.  Garnish with herbs and lemon slices.

In East Hampton, NY there is a tiny, local Italian market called Villa Italian Specialties.  They offer tasty sandwiches, pizza, pre-made pasta entrees and have a small grocery section with quirky pastas and sauces imported from Italy.  I came across this random pasta sauce, Vantia Pasta Sauce with Sardines & Fennel.  My first reaction was “absolutely not - gross”, but we’re always up for trying new things so I picked it up with some Fusilli Lunghi Col Buco (long spiral hollow pasta) and hoped for the best.  We added a bunch of fresh ingredients and some delicious shrimp and monkfish for an absolutely incredible and unique finished dish.  Eat up!    bigcitybelle

Seafood & Fennel Bucatini

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. large shrimp, deveined and butterflied (about 8 shrimp)

1/2 lb. monkfish fillet, cut into 2 inch cubes

1 cup sliced fennel

1 cup assorted wild mushrooms, chopped

1 cup fresh tomato, seeded and chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp. prepared pasta sauce with sardines & fennel (trust me here)  http://www.pennmac.com/items/2663

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian (flat) parsley

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning

1/2 lb. bucatini pasta, cooked al dente in salted water (use Fusilli Lunghi Col Buco if you can find it)

white wine (1 cup to cook with, the rest for your glass)

olive oil

Kosher salt

black pepper

In a bowl, combine the cleaned shrimp and monkfish with 1 tbsp olive oil, Old Bay Seasoning and salt & pepper.  Set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, combine the fennel, 3 cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp of olive oil.  Season well with salt & pepper.  Add about a 1/4 cup of white wine and saute until the fennel is tender.  Add mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes (do not overcook the mushrooms).  Remove the fennel & mushroom mixture and set aside.

Add the seafood the the same saute pan with a splash of white wine and the remaining garlic (2 cloves).  Cook over medium heat until the shrimp are pink and the monkfish is firm (it will only take a few minutes).  Add seafood to the fennel & mushroom mixture.

Heat 3 tbsp. the prepared fennel & sardine pasta sauce in the bottom of the saute pan with the chopped tomato.  Add the seafood, fennel & mushroom mixture, cooked pasta, parsley, Parmesan cheese and toss to combine.  Serve with lots of white wine.