We’re nearly halfway through the 2018 Lenten season, and with many more meals to plan before Easter, it’s time for me to share with you some more of my delicious meatless recipes, this time focusing on a fish many of you may have enjoyed without knowing it.
What fish is that, you may ask?
Pollock.
You don’t often find fresh pollock at your favorite seafood counter, but we have it right now at Nino’s! Harvested off the Maine coast in the North Atlantic, pollock, considered a “white” fish, is sweet, flakey, and delicious. It’s so delicious that it is often used in some of America’s restaurant chains for their fish sandwiches–McDonald’s and Arby’s to name two.
This year, just before Lent began, I brought in some fresh pollock fillets and created 3 new recipes that I think you and your family will really enjoy. I even created a short video, which shows you just how easy pollock can be to prepare at home. It’s often playing on the TV at each of our stores’ seafood departments, and the recipes are printed and available at the counter for your use.
Here is a video of how to prepare these dishes and the recipes are below. Enjoy!

Broiled Pollock Florentine with Crispy Bacon & Dijon Crème Sauce

(Serves 2)

Prepare sauce first and reserve for service.

For Dijon Sauce

1 TBSP Butter
1 tsp Garlic, Minced
1 TBSP Shallots, Chopped
1 Cup Fish or Seafood Broth
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 TBSP Smooth Dijon Mustard
To Taste Salt & Pepper

1. In a small saucepan, sauté garlic and shallots in butter until softened. DO NOT BROWN.
2. Add fish/seafood broth and simmer until liquids are reduced ¾ of the way or until nearly syrupy.
3. Add cream and mustard and reduce by half. The sauce will have a medium-bodied sauce consistency.
4. Season sauce with salt & pepper to taste.
5. Reserve sauce and keep warm for plate-up.

Pollock with (Florentine) Spinach

2 – 10 oz. Pollock Fillets
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
4 Strips Bacon, Sliced in 14 Pieces
1 tsp Garlic, Minced
½ Medium Size Sweet Onion, Cut in Thin Slivers
1 – 10 oz. Baby Spinach Leaves (1 bag)
To Taste Salt & Pepper

1. In a medium-sized, non-stick sauté pan over medium-high heat, sauté bacon until crisp. Then, add garlic and onion, and sauté until tender. DO NOT BROWN. Keep resulting bacon grease in the pan.
2. Add fresh spinach leaves, and stir in until limp and partially cooked. Remove from the heat, and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven broiler, and place an oven rack approximately 6” from the broiler element.
4. Brush pollock fillets with vegetable oil, season with salt and pepper, and place on a non-stick baking pan.
5. Place fillets under the broiler and cook approximately 10 to 12 minutes or until flesh is opaque, firm, easily flaked with a fork, and cooked through.

Serve final dish presentation by dividing the spinach mixture in half and centering a mound in the center of each plate. Place the broiled pollock fillets over the spinach and nap each fillet with the Dijon Creme Sauce.

Parmesan Crusted Pollock with Tomato Fresca

(Serves 2)

Prepare Tomato Fresca sauce first, and set aside.

Tomato Fresca Sauce

1 tsp Garlic, Minced
2 TBSP Green Onion, Sliced Thin on Bias
1 TBSP Fresh Basil, Chopped
1 Cup RIPE Roma Tomato, Seeded, Chopped
2 TBSP Olive Oil
2 TBSP White Balsamic Vinegar
To Taste Salt & Pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a small mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Allow it to rest a short while to marinate flavors together. This “sauce” is best served chilled or at room temperature.

Parmesan Crusted Pollock

2 – 10 oz. Pollock Fillets
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour
2 Extra-Large Eggs, Beaten with ¼ Cup Milk or Water
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese, Grated
1 Cup Vegetable Oil (For frying)

1. Trim pollock fillets, and dredge each in flour. Then, dip in egg mixture. Finally, coat both sides in panko bread crumbs.
2. Heat oil in a shallow skillet on medium-high heat (to 350 F), and pan-fry breaded fillets until cooked through. The flesh will be firm, opaque, and flake with a fork.

Finish the plate presentation with the pan-fried pollock fillet on the plate topped with the Tomato Fresca Sauce.

Fried Pollock Cakes with Tartar Sauce

(Serves 2)

1 Medium Idaho potato
10 oz. Pollock (About 1 large fillet)
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
¼ Cup Parsley, Chopped (No stems)
1 Green Onion, Finely Sliced
1 Egg, Extra-Large
2 tsp Mayonnaise
1 tsp Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
To Taste Salt & Pepper
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Vegetable Oil (For frying)

1. Wash potato and pierce all over with a fork. Bake in 400° oven until fully cooked, about 30 minutes (or microwave for 5-8 minutes, or until fully cooked).
2. Place pollock, garlic, and parsley stems in a large frying pan, cover with water, and bring to a simmer until pollock is just cooked through–about 6 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove skin from potato, and grate through the large holes of a box grater.
3. Gently flake fish into large chunks, and combine with grated baked potato, remaining chopped parsley, and chopped scallions. Beat egg with mayonnaise and grainy mustard, and combine with fish/potato mixture. Mix until all ingredients are fully combined, being careful to keep fish from falling apart too much. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide fish mixture into 8 even pieces (about 1/4 cup each), and gently press each ball into panko crumbs.
5. Heat 1 cup of vegetable oil in large frying pan to 350 F, and fry fish cakes in batches until golden brown, keeping finished fish cakes warm in oven. Serve with Tartar Sauce.