Red Snapper Meuniere, courtesy of @JudyWalkerTP's column in Da Paper

Red Snapper Meuniere with Brabant Potatoes

We were all in the mood for seafood, but I wasn't in a shrimp or crawfish mood.  The compromise was easy, do fish in a meuniere sauce.  After all, nothing's bad when it's in a butter sauce.  The only catch? I'd never made a meuniere, so I needed a good recipe.  No better time to try the Times-Picayune's new online recipe database at NOLA.com.  

Right at the top of the Food section is the search box for the recipe database.  (BTW, that's @JudyWalkerTP in the video box to the right.)  I typed "trout meuniere" into the search and got a solid hit:

...and clicking through the search result gave me the full article and recipe:

So, I ran out to get some fish! At Dennis' Seafood in Metairie, I learned that it's not trout season, but they had some good-looking red snapper.  Stopping at Zuppardo's, I got a few odds and ends, as well as a dozen raw shrimp for this recipe.

The fish came out pretty good.  I like the technique in this recipe, particularly dredging the fish filet in seasoned flour, then dipping it in the egg wash, then flouring it again.  The natural juice of the fish helps the first flour-dredging to stick a bit, then the milk pulls even more flour onto the filet.  The recipe says "serves 2" but worked fine for 3 nice-sized filets (Mrs. YatPundit had stuffed crab since she's not a big fan of fish).

As you can see from the photo, the sauce was a bit dark, but that's likely my heavy hand with the Lea & Perrins. 

The recipe was a huge hit, to the point where even Mrs. YatPundit endorsed it, stealing some of mine.  Pour butter on most things and yeah, it's a winner. :-)

(recipe from Da Paper follows - click "read more" below)

Trout meuniere with shrimp and roasted pecans

Makes 2 servings

2 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
5 to 6 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic seasoning
2 five-ounce speckled trout filets
½ cup vegetable or peanut oil
1 tablespoon plus 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
6 medium-sized peeled fresh shrimp
½ cup roasted pecan pieces
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
¼ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
½ teaspoon Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce
6 tablespoons shrimp stock
½ teaspoon lemon juice

In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Whisk in milk until fully blended. Transfer the mixture to a shallow pan and set aside.

In a separate shallow pan, place flour and 4 teaspoons of the seafood seasoning. Blend well and set aside.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the fish filets, lightly and evenly, with the seafood seasoning. (Use about ¾ teaspoon seasoning per filet.)

When the oil is hot, dredge the fish filets in the seasoned flour, then in the egg/milk wash, then back in the flour. Immediately place each battered fish filet into the hot oil. Cook the fish, turning once, until both sides are brown and crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Transfer cooked fish to a sheet pan lined with paper towels to drain. Keep warm while you make the sauce.

Discard the oil, reserving any browned bits of flour in the bottom of the pan. Return the skillet to the stove over high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon of the softened butter and cook, shaking the skillet constantly until the butter turns dark brown, 10 to 20 seconds. Add the shrimp and cook just until the shrimp turn pink on the outside.

Add the pecans, green onions, garlic and ¼ teaspoon of seafood seasoning. Cook, shaking the skillet constantly, for 10 seconds. Add the Lea & Perrins, stock and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Reduce heat to low and cook, shaking the skillet vigorously back and forth, just until the butter melts into the sauce and becomes emulsified. Remove from heat.

To serve, place 1 trout filet on each serving plate and top each filet with 3 shrimp and ¼ cup of sauce. Serve immediately.