Fried Fish in Dijon Butter Sauce

By Kris Winkelman

I stumbled onto this dish quite by accident while I was experimenting with butter sauces to serve with upland game. I loved the sauce, but it didn¹t go with the pheasant I¹d prepared. I suspected, however, it would be great with fried fish, and I was right.

You can fry the fish using your own favorite recipe. I used homemade breadcrumbs with great results. Start by slicing the crust off a loaf of French bread. Cut the bread into half-inch slices and bake in a 350-degree oven until toasted. Then grind into crumbs in a food processor or blender.

Dust the boneless, skinned fillets in seasoned flour, then dip in a mixture of:

4 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons of milk

1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, grated

Shake off the excess egg wash, then coat the fillets thoroughly in the breadcrumbs. Sauté in a non-stick skillet using peanut oil, butter-flavored shortening or Canola oil.

When the fish is golden brown on both sides, place in a 190-degree oven while you prepare the butter sauce. In a stainless steel saucepan, combine over medium heat:

1 shallot, finely diced

1/4 cup white table wine

1 tablespoon honey

When the wine is nearly gone, add:

1/2 cup heavy cream

Allow the cream to reduce over medium heat until it¹s almost gone, then reduce the heat to its lowest setting and whisk in, a couple tablespoons at a time:

2 sticks unsalted butter

It¹s important to whisk the butter constantly or the sauce will separate. If the pan gets too hot, turn off the heat to stir in the final few cubes of butter.

When the butter is completely incorporated, stir in:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Strain the sauce into a serving dish, then sprinkle in:

Dry dill to taste

Don¹t be afraid to use a lot of dill. Dill and mustard are a great combination.

I like to serve this dish with wild rice. Place a scoop of wild rice on each plate; pour some of the butter sauce over the rice and some on the plate. Place a fillet of fish over the sauce and serve.

This meal goes great with a dry Riesling or Chardonnay wine.

Kris Winkelman's "Ultimate Wild Game and Fish Cookbook" is for sale. Cost of cookbook is $19.95 plus $4.50 shipping & handling. To order, log onto http://www.winkelman.com or call 1-800-333-0471.