master

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.

Ethan Mick

with Ras El Hanout Collard Greens & Lentils

Catfish Meunière

Catfish Fillets

Black Beluga Lentils

Collard Greens

Yellow Onion

Lemon

Butter

Rice Flour

Ras El Hanout

Capers

Ingredients

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.

Cook the lentils:

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.

Prepare the ingredients:

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.

Cook the collard greens:

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.

Coat & brown the catfish:

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 catfish & sauce:

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!