Off the Hook - Pt. II

With the first season of Off the Hook officially over, I thought I would share what I found to be my favorite haddock preparation after weeks of trying different recipes.  What follows is deceptively simple, fast and fiendishly good.

Sherwood St. Haddock

Ultra-fresh haddock
Butter (unsalted)
More butter
Capers
Kosher salt & pepper (throw that table salt out already!)
White flour

Wash & dry the haddock fillets.  Season both sides with salt, and let stand for about 5 mins or so to let the salt penetrate into the flesh.  Over medium heat, melt a couple tablespoons of the butter until it foams.  Dredge the fillets in the flour, shaking off the excess, and place in the pan.  Cook for a couple of minutes, until the bottom is starting to brown.  Flip and cook the other side for a couple of minutes.  Give the fish your undivided attention because it is really, really easy to overcook the fish.  Keep checking the inside by gently separating the flesh, the moment it's cooked through take it out.  Remove the fish and cover while you prepare the sauce.  Add a couple more tablespoons of butter to the pan and melt, scraping up all of the nice brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Continually stir while you let the butter cook until it just starts to brown (this won't take long).  Add a tablespoon of capers to the pan, along with another tablespoon of the caper brine.  Wisk it in to combine and then serve the fish, topping the fillets with the sauce (this sauce, in case you were wondering, is buerre noisette, or brown butter).

Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side (I chose braised local cucumber in the picture).

You couldn't prepare a box of kraft dinner in this amount of time.