Fish “à la meunière” is a classic French preparation in which fillets are dredged in flour, lightly fried and served with a sauce of browned butter, lemon and parsley. In our version, we’re using rice flour for an extra-fine, crisp coating, and adding briny capers to the sauce. We’re serving our gourmet catfish atop a hearty bed of beluga lentils (a variety that keeps its shape when cooked) and sautéed collard greens—seasoned, for a special, warming touch, with fragrant Moroccan spices.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 Catfish Fillets
- 1/2 c Black Beluga Lentils
- 1 Collard Greens
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 1 Lemon
- 4 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Rice Flour
- 2 tsp Ras El Hanout
- 1 tbsp Capers
Instructions
Instructions
Cook the lentils:
Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling on high. Once boiling, add the lentils and cook 24 to 26 minutes, or until tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the pot. Set aside in a warm place.
Prepare the ingredients:
While the lentils cook, wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel, halve and thinly slice the onion. Remove and discard the collard green stems; roughly chop the leaves. Using a peeler, remove the yellow rind of the lemon, avoiding the white pith; mince the rind to get 2 teaspoons of zest (or use a zester). Quarter and deseed the lemon. Roughly chop the capers.
Cook the collard greens:
While the lentils continue to cook, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion and ras el hanout and cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 4 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the collard greens and ¼ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 4 to 6 minutes, or until the collard greens have wilted and the water has cooked off. Transfer to a bowl and set aside in a warm place. Rinse and wipe out the pan.
Coat & brown the catfish:
While the lentils continue to cook, place the rice flour on a plate. Pat the catfish fillets dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat 1 side of each seasoned fillet in the rice flour (tapping off any excess). In the pan used to cook the collard greens, melt ¾ of the butter on medium until hot. Add the fillets, coated sides down, and cook 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, or until the fillets and butter are golden brown. Flip the fillets and cook 1 to 2 minutes, or until almost cooked through.
Finish the catfish & sauce:
Add the capers and the juice of 3 lemon wedges to the pan of catfish; season with salt and pepper. Cook, occasionally spooning the sauce over the fillets, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the catfish is cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside in a warm place.
Finish the lentils & plate your dish:
To the pot of cooked lentils, add the cooked collard greens, lemon zest, remaining butter and the juice of the remaining lemon wedge. Cook on medium, stirring frequently, 1 to 2 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and heated through. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished lentils and finished catfish fillets between 2 dishes. Top the fillets with a few spoonfuls of the sauce. Enjoy!