A new twist on a crusted fish....

My husband is a bit of a hoarder....not quite to the extent that they feature on the show of the same name...but he does hoard recipes like they are going out of style.  Don't get me wrong!  I'm certainly not complaining that my husband has an eye for yummy recipes...its that he hoards them in piles that tend to take over any area that we keep recipes (until its nothing but a mountain of loose papers from magazines).  I had a chance to go through all of our recipes, which was great because now I feel a bit more prepared when the summer comes and all of my garden delights are ready.

The down side to all of these recipes...is that my dear husband is not home a lot to make these delicious meals.  Here's where I will admit to making standard favorites more than I will experiment. 

Last night we were fortunate to have an evening at home with the husband!  He decided that the pike he caught should be eaten and would I like to try a new recipe?  Would I?!?!?  The answer was yes and it was so different that I thought it would make a great post!

In the winter time, my husband does enjoy ice fishing.  It isn't as rewarding (I find) as summer time boat fishing...but it is a nice winter activity that the whole family can get excited about.  Its doubly nice when you actually catch something big enough to eat!  Plus (I have to throw this in) your meal has an extremely small carbon footprint when you catch your dinner 50 ft from your house!!!

Chester with his pike...sort of the before picture.

  He pulled this marvelous recipe from Chatelaine magazine (and before you ask...he does work as a cook at a day care and the teachers are all female)


the after picture....seed-encrusted pike!

And here is the modified recipe (it originally called for trout):

pike filets
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (but we used dried ground)
1 tsp fennel (we probably will make this again, but with a little less fennel)
1 tbsp each cumin seeds and sesame seeds
1 tbsp flax seeds (it calls for ground, but we only had whole seeds)

a twist of ground coriander or fresh lemon wedges
S & P to taste

The cooking instructions just say to mix dijon with ginger and flax, then spread over filets.  Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and bake on foil or parchment coated pan in center of oven for 10-12 min.  Oven is preheated to 400 degrees F.

I would definitely serve this dish with lime juice!

Our sides for this evening where roasted garlic mashed potatoes (garlic is locally grown) and brussel sprouts with a cheesy bechamel sauce......

I am a lucky lucky girl....