Haddock

We usually save fish for Meatless Mondays, but I forgot to pull chicken from the freezer this morning and I didn't remember until 5:45pm when I was getting out of work, Uh-Oh! So I picked up some haddock that was on sale. We haven't had haddock in a while. It's a nice white fish with not a lot of fishy flavor, if you cook it correctly.

I asked the market owner for a simple recipe to try. I didn't want to come home and look for a recipe on-line and find out I don't have all the ingredients. The market owner told me what to do, but didn't give me any measurements. So, here is what I did.

Seared Haddock
1/2-3/4 lb Fresh Haddock
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil (NOT EVOO)
Juice from 1/2 medium lemon

Heat cast iron skillet on med-high with oil and butter. Once butter is melted, add haddock. Sear for 2-3 minutes, then repeat on other side. Cover pan, turn down heat to med-low and let fish cook for 10-15 minutes. Plate and squeeze lemon over haddock, serve with a fresh salad.

Husband's Rating:
Love it! My husband is a HUGE fish fan. He loves haddock, salmon, trout, tuna and swordfish. AND he loves fishing. So, although he didn't catch the fish we had tonight, he was very happy with it.

My Take:
I liked the flavor of the fish, but as I was searing it, it fell apart. I'm not sure if my pan wasn't hot enough, or if the fish wasn't thick enough. But once it fell apart that first turn, there was no going back. I would have liked more seasoning--maybe lemon pepper, maybe just a dash of pepper...something to spice it up a bit. But, hubby loved it, so we'll probably try it again in another 2-3 weeks.


I served the haddock with a salad of fresh romaine hearts. It was soo good! I didn't feel like having any of the dressings we had in the fridge (and we have a wide selection). So I decided to make my own. I've made deli spreads (dijonaise, chipotle mayo, etc.) before, but never my own dressing. I didn't follow a recipe, just went with what I thought would taste good.

Sweet and Sour Dijon Dressing
(enough dressing for 2 medium sized salads)
Juice from 1/4 of medium sized lemon (if making this dressing to go with haddock, just use some of the leftover lemon juice from above recipe)
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Olive Oil

Add more or less brown sugar and lemon juice for your tastes.

Husband's Rating:
Hubby doesn't eat any dressing except italian and french, so he didn't try this dressing, sorry there is no hubby rating!

My Take:
I loved it! Tomorrow I will add a bit more brown sugar, or try some honey (we didn't have any on hand this evening). Kind of glad I wasn't into any of the dressings we had already!