Fast food at home, part I: Fish

Last Friday, I was totally whacked out when I got home from running endless errands in Saskatoon. It was late. I’d been in town almost all day, and I rolled back down our driveway at half past five. Dave, who knows better, did not ask, “What’s for supper?” Instead, he brought me a cup of tea as I assumed the position on the couch.

Napping doesn’t bother me. I figure that my body will tell me when I need some rest, and it’s perilously hard to resist the nodding-off urge to nap when it arrives. So when I woke up an hour later, I was pretty calm, except for the unspoken question: what’s for dinner?

When the leftover bin is empty, it’s time to pull out the quick-cook/quick-thaw protein: fish. You may recall my allegiance to Community Supported Fishery (CSF) through a BC-based business, Skipper Otto (see ‘BC Fish for Prairie Plates’ in the July 9, 2024, issue of Grainews). A big bonus of belonging to the CSF is knowing who caught each fish — and how, where and when. Practically speaking, the best of it is having high-quality, wild-caught Canadian fish in the freezer.

So, I went to the freezer for a look-see and found a gorgeous fat chunk of wild sablefish caught off the coast of Haida Gwaii. As a kid on Vancouver Island, I loved sablefish, better known to us back then as black Alaska cod, dyed pale yellow and lightly smoked, which my mom poached. The fish is equally luscious unsmoked. Next to the sablefish, I found a half-kilo slice of wild coho salmon, also from near Haida Gwaii, as well as walleye fillets, each weighing about 150 grams.

Anyone from the prairie recognizes walleye as primo lake fish. Flaky but firm, it’s ideal for sautéing or grilling. This is the second year Skipper Otto has partnered with the Métis and Cree Nation fishers of Île-à-la-Crosse and Buffalo Narrows to provide this sumptuous fish.

Those small fillets thaw quickly in water and cook in minutes. With one eye on the clock, I bypassed the fatter slices of sablefish and salmon, picked two walleye fillets from the freezer, and got them into a bowl of cold water to thaw while I sliced up spuds for air fryer fries. Half an hour later, we sat down to walleye meunière, an old-fashioned fish fry with homemade tartar sauce and a butter-lemon pan sauce.

If I’d been inclined to spend a few minutes more at my butcher’s block, I could have made apple coleslaw and flame-roasted some frozen tortillas for fish tacos. Or, I could have complicated the simple technique associated with fish meunière (dredging in flour, in the style of the miller’s wife) by adding an egg wash, then a layer of panko crumbs before frying. I could also have made an aromatic broth and poached the walleye or roasted the seasoned fish in the air fryer, but I was already committed to those spuds. Start to finish, including freezer excavation and contemplation of options: forty-five minutes. That’s some delicious fast food. First, we eat, then we share our other favourite at-home fast food.

How do you feed your crew?

Join fellow foodie dee Hobsbawn-Smith at Ag in Motion for great eating ideas during busy times on the farm

Farming may be about feeding the world, but it starts with feeding your crew.

Meals prepared with care are a highlight for farm workers during busy seasons, providing both nourishment and comfort.

We’d like to know what you do on your farm to make mealtimes special.

Are there favourite recipes you go back to year after year? How do you keep meals hot or cold? Do you serve them up in the field or in the kitchen? What kind of time-saving tips do you follow? How do you make the most of the ingredients you are working with or how do you change things up to make field lunches more interesting?

Send us your ideas and we’ll share them with other readers in the paper and with Ag in Motion visitors who attend daily sessions with food writer dee Hobsbawn-Smith at the Glacier FarmMedia booth.

Hobsbawn-Smith will share her own recipes, tips and labour-saving hacks for a constant supply of meals on the farm that are both nourishing and fun.

Send your own ideas to us by email with “Feeding the Crew” in the subject line. Send them to: newsroom@producer.com

Walleye Meuniére

This simple fish fry works best with thin, firm fillets, such as walleye. If you are blessed with fatter pieces of salmon or sablefish, either slice them thinly on the bias or roast/grill them. I prefer to use a seasoned cast iron pan to fry fish; it regulates the heat to reduce the risk of burning. If you prefer, season the tartar sauce with Middle Eastern or South Asian spices and condiments. Serves 2

Tartar sauce

• 1/3 c. mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp. horseradish, or to taste
• 1 tsp. hot sauce, or to taste
• 2 tbsp. minced pickle or relish
• 1/2 vtsp. pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 lemon, juice and zest
• a handful of minced fresh herbs dill, parsley, thyme, cilantro, tarragon, chervil
• kosher salt and hot chili flakes to taste

Meuniére

• 2 walleye fillets
• 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
• olive oil for the pan
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1 lemon, juice and zest

Combine all ingredients for the tartar sauce and set aside.

Dredge the fish in the flour and season to taste. Heat the oil in a cast iron saut pan and add the fish in a single uncrowded layer when the oil is hot. Reduce heat to medium-high. Cook for a minute, until the underside is nicely browned, then turn. Cook for a minute on the second side, then remove fish from the pan. Scrape out and discard excess flour, then melt the butter. Add the lemon juice and zest. Pour the resulting pan sauce over the fish and serve immediately with tartar sauce and your choice of accompaniments.