Stuffed Dorade with Sweet Corn Sauce

Have I told you about The Lobster Place? It is one the best, and my personal favorite, seafood markets in NYC. The first time I went there was with Christine and what impressed me even more than the freshness of the seafood was their friendly helpfulness.

They actually recognized Christine as a regular customer and chit chatted. An attitude you would expect from a small, local neighborhood store rather than the busy, mainstream store, located inside Chelsea Market, as it is. On a recent visit there, Mr. FSK asked why I patronized this store so much. It made me think and I realized that the reason was their soulfulness!

As it happened, that morning India had won one of the World Cup league matches. Mr.FSK was buoyant and when one of the staff (originally Indian) called to him to have a short discussion on the match, he definitely left with a favorable impression....

Anyway, so as usual, we brought back a bunch of high quality seafood and did much musing on how little things influence perception and buying behavior. This dorade was calling out to us and we got it cleaned and de-boned while we chatted amiably with the staff.

Dorade is a Mediterranean fish typically found in the Mediterranean Sea and the eastern coastal regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a small fish with tender white flesh with a shimmering, silvery skin. When grilled or braised it has a rich, succulent, meaty flavor, similar to that of pompano or red snapper.

Back home, it made a beautiful yet simple meal, stuffed with caramelised fennel, fennel fronds, cilantro, black olives and orange. I served it with a fresh sweet corn sauce and lot of bread to mope it all up.



Dorade Stuffed with Fennel, Herbs and Orange

1 medium dorade, cleaned, deboned and butterflied
1/2 medium fennel bulb, sliced fine
3 T fennel fronds, chopped
3 T chopped fresh cilantro or flat leaf parsley
2 T chopped pitted, black olives (oil cured)
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 thin orange slices
oil as needed

In a pan lightly caramelise the fennel. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Mix in the fennel fronds, olives and cilantro. Clean the fish, brush oil on all sides and season with salt and pepper. Gently arrange the stuffing in the fish cavity and line the orange slices on top of the stuffing. Close the fish and tie with kitchen string.

Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes until the flesh is cooked but not dry.


Sweet Corn Sauce

1 T butter
1 T flour
1 cup half and half
corn from 1 ear

Over low heat, melt the butter. Add the flour to make a light roux. Add, half the milk and whisk vigorously to ensure no lumps. Add the corn, salt and pepper and cook for a 3 minutes. Puree in a blender. Bring back to heat, add the remaining milk and cook for a few more minutes.

Serve immediately.