Fish With Nettle & Sunflower Seed Sauce
Serves 4
Mix and match the type of greens or the nut or seed you use in this silky, bright green sauce. It’s packed with nutrients and delicious with fish, but it works as a sandwich spread, in pasta or to enrich a soup. 3 tablespoons neutral oil, such as canola or rice bran oil + more for the fish ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, hulled pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1⁄ 8 teaspoon chile flakes 4 ounces stemmed and torn braising greens, stemmed kale or broccoli leaves Kosher salt 4 ounces nettles or other tender cooking greens, such as pea greens, mature arugula, lambs quarters, or stemmed chard, watercress or spinach ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons lemon juice or verjus + more to taste 1½ pounds trout fillets, steelhead trout, halibut or other mild fish, cut into 4 portions Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions: Set a strainer over a small bowl. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat the oil until hot, then add the seeds. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they smell toasty and are lightly
browned, 2-3 minutes (they’ll continue to brown as they cool). Pour into the strainer and let the seeds cool. Add the strained oil back to the pan and return to medium heat.
Addand sautethe garlic30 seconds.and chile Add flakes the hearty braising greens and cook, stirring, until the greens are softened and well sauteed; keep the heat high enough to dry them out without scorching. Add the nettles and a sprinkle of salt and cook until all the greens are tender and dry, 2-3 minutes. Pulse or chop all but 2 tablespoons of the sunflower seeds in a blender or food processor, scraping the sides of the bowl to mix in everything. Add the cooked greens, olive oil, lemon juice, some salt and pepper and 1-2 tablespoons of water if needed. Puree to just slightly chunky. Adjust seasoning with salt, chile flakes and more lemon juice if needed. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom, then cook the fish flesh-side down until mostly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook until tender, 1-2 minutes (longer for halibut). Serve the fish with dollops of the nettle sauce. Scatter the extra sunflower seeds on top.
Per serving: 495 calories, 33 g protein, 8 g carbohydrates, 37 g fat (5 g saturated), 141 mg cholesterol, 172 mg sodium, 3 g fiber.