I fished many years before I started cooking fish. I learned from an early age that when you have fresh fish, cooking simply is cooking best. You want the taste of the fish to shine rather than spices and sauces.
While teaching seafood cooking courses and doing shows on cable television, I always stressed simplicity. Who wants to spend the day in the kitchen when you can turn out great dishes with much less effort?
Spring in the Northeast means striped bass. When I have fresh striper on hand, I prefer its natural flavor either grilled or sautéed. However, there may be times when you have surplus filets which you might want to spruce it up a little, produce a gourmet dish with minimal effort. In my house, spring is also time to clean out the freezer, where a leftover packet of striper from last fall may require a cooking technique to mask the stronger fish flavor.
The casserole recipe below delivers a gourmet style dish with little effort. It adds enough other flavors to deal with that year-old fish. The recipe works well with any white flesh fish fillet including flounder, black sea bass, and tautog. This dish can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until you are ready to cook.
- 2 pounds half-inch striper fillets
- Four whole cooked, shrimp (optional)
- One can Campbell’s cream of shrimp soup
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup dry sherry wine
- ¼ pound cooked, chopped shrimp
- Pam cooking spray
- Cooked white rice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle the fish fillets lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and add the fish in a single layer.
In a saucepan over low heat, combine the soup, cream, and sherry. Stir while warming until thoroughly mixed. Add the chopped shrimp. Pour the sauce evenly over the fish. Bake for 20-30 minutes until it bubbles and the fish flakes easily with a fork. If desired, add the whole shrimp on top of the casserole before serving.
