Fish with saffron leek sauce

 

I'm more of a Julian calendar kind of gal when it comes to New Year's. March 25, close to the equinox, seems a much more logical time than the Gregorian notion. And if we're being arbitrary, why not round it up to an even month and claim April 1? It seems like an appropriate time of year to celebrate new beginnings, and a much better time to set resolutions than the dead of winter when your main goal is survival.

The past few years I've waited to make my resolutions until today, when everything seems more possible. Bonus: No one asks you about how you're doing with your resolutions in April, when everyone else has moved on.

Many of my yet-to-be-broken resolutions revolve around a theme of deploying existing resources, so it's bound to trickle down to the recipes I make. This first one comes from one of seven cookbooks I've identified as targets for culling. My plan is to cook the recipes in them that look plausibly tasty and then pass them along to others. Why seven? Because there are seven cookbooks stacked not so neatly across the top of my other cookbooks because they don't fit on their very generous shelf. Of course this plan only works if I don't acquire any more (see separate resolution later...)

Up first, something that falls under the general resolution of eat more fish. So happy New Year to any fellow fools out there.

Fillet of fish in leek and saffron sauce

Adapted from “Low Fat,” a Barnes & Noble publication I picked up for $5.98 years ago.

Note: Naturally, when I adapted it, I made it ever-so-slightly less goody-goody by adding a tablespoon of olive oil and cooking the leeks in the oil, followed by the broth. If you want the low-fat version, blanch the leeks in boiling salted water for 4 minutes instead and incorporate the broth when the leeks are added to the sauce.

Ingredients

2 leeks, white parts only, rinsed and sliced

½ cup vegetable stock

¼ cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons dry vermouth

½ cup crème fraiche

Saffron

1¼ pound perch fillets (or some other firm white fish)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Fresh dill sprigs for garnish

Method

In a large skillet, heat 1½ tablespoons olive oil over medium low heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until they’re slightly tender and golden. Add vegetable stock and cover, simmering until leeks are tender.

In a saucepan, heat white wine and vermouth to boiling. Continue cooking until reduced by about half. Add the crème fraiche, a pinch of saffron and the leeks with broth. Simmer to thicken a bit and keep warm while cooking fish. Season to taste with salt.

In same large skillet, heat remaining 1½ tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Salt and pepper fish fillets and add to the pan. Cook on both sides until fish readily flakes.

To serve, dish up cooked leeks on 4 plates, using a slotted spoon to leave most of the liquid in the pan. Top with fish. Spoon over the sauce and garnish with dill sprigs and a pinch of saffron.

Rating: Not bad. The sauce is repeatable and could have other uses. Like maybe with risotto?