Friday, April 19, 2013

FFWD Cod and Spinach Roulades


When I read through this recipe I was annoyed.  I love serving simple fish and greens dinners, but this one just sounded like a pain.  With only 10 oz of fish I didn't think it would possibly be enough for four servings, and the sheer number of steps and components was overwhelming.  I described it to Paul as "very French," and not in a good way.  But, one of the main points of doing FFWD for me is trying recipes that I might not otherwise, so I decided to pair it with potatoes and another vegetable (hoping that would be substantial enough) and give it a go.  When I went shopping the store didn't have any cod, but did have gorgeous Alaskan halibut that was still a fortune at $5 off.  I debated using such a nice fish for what was essentially a puree, but decided to just go for it.  Other than that, I followed the recipe pretty carefully, except for substituting some arugula that Paul grew for half of the spinach.  (I'm still not quite clear on how Paul has so much fully grown arugula and mustard greens already.  I think it's been growing since last summer but I know that doesn't make a lot of sense.  This is clearly why I'm not a gardener...)  I was cursing the recipe again when it was after 9 o'clock and I was still cooking, but not after the first bite.  This was really, really good!  In some ways it reminded me of gefilte fish (not the flavor, but just because it's also made from chopped and poached fish), but I love gefilte fish so that isn't a bad thing.  Maybe it was all of the cream, maybe it was the halibut, maybe it was the combination, but the flavor and texture was just excellent.  Almost light and airy.  I thought the peppery arugula and tomato sauces were nice complements.  The extra sauce also made an excellent dip for my steamed artichoke.  I need to figure out a way to start putting Sunday dinner on the table a couple of hours earlier, but even though we were exhausted we really enjoyed this one.

11 comments:

  1. It did seem odd to take that beautiful piece of cod and throw it in the blender - but yes, this one did pleasantly surprise.

    It looks like your fish really came out well - and that artichoke looks mighty tempting. I never think to cook those at home.

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  2. Funny how many people were "annoyed" while preparing this dish. Glad it turned out for you!

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  3. It definitely was a lot of steps but none of them too difficult. I'll make this again for company..

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  4. I was really hoping I would like this, after all the work it took! Alas, this one is not for me. Glad it turned out so well for you! It looks wonderful, especially with those veggies on the side!

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  5. It did taste delicious, but I thought it was way too much prep for something that could be achieved by keeping the fish whole.

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  6. I’m so jealous that you have fresh greens already…lucky you! The thought of ruining a beautiful piece of fish definitely gave me pause. This dish was surprisingly good and I’m glad I gave it a try…but I am sure I will never make it again!!
    Yours looks lovely and I love all the veggies accompanying your roulade.

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  7. I thought of gefilite fish too... which I like the taste of but I don't like the texture... that thought is probably the one that swayed me not to puree. And yes, how wonderful fresh greens already.

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  8. I think we had the same experience making these....right down to the plating! Glad you enjoyed these...I did, too!!!!

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  9. My dinner was quite late too. This one had a lot of steps, didn't it? I enjoyed this more than I thought I would especially after I found out I had to make fish mousse, not just wrap fish fillets around spinach. Hmmm, I hadn't thought of its resemblance to gefilte fish (which I don't like) because I actually liked it. Have a good weekend.

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  10. Jora, your Alaskan halibut roulades came out perfect - they look really very tempting with that fresh toamato sauce and the nice arugula filling - how nice to always have such wonderful greens growing in your own garden.
    Have a lovely weekend!

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  11. Glad this was a hit for you, it wasn't so much for us. I love that you have greens growing in your garden already. Mine still needs a lot of work.

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