Every weekend my boyfriend Andy and I like to have fish for dinner. We alternate types to keep it interesting. One can only eat so much salmon before getting sick of it. I’ve been trying different types of white fish–halibut, sole, cod, etc. They are all rather bland in flavor, so I love pairing them with a delicious coating or sauce. Something that really makes your taste buds dance!
This week I found a recipe for Fish with Lemon Garlic Sauce by Haute and Healthy Living.
You can find this recipe right -> here!
Cooking White Fish
White Fish is very delicate and often not very strong in flavor. That’s why it is so versatile to pair with sauces and sides. Cooking times do vary based on the thickness of your fish, so please do keep that in mind when cooking any type of fish. My best recommendation is to have a digital food thermometer. I ordered mine off Amazon and it works like a charm! It has saved me many times from overcooking fish and meats.
For this recipe, like all recipes, I like to follow the directions exactly to review not just the ingredients but also the directions that are provided by the author. In this case, 20 minutes to cook the fish and prepare the lemon garlic sauce was just enough. Of course, still keep an eye on the fish, especially if it is rather thin. 20 minutes may be too long. You want the fish to be easily flaked with a fork.
Making the Easy Lemon Garlic Sauce
I’ve made plenty of sauces, but this one really intrigued me due to the ingredients that were being used. Low sodium broth (I used chicken broth), lemon juice, minced garlic, and eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. All very simple but all very capable of creating a delicious light sauce for a light white fish.
One of the key things when working with a sauce using eggs is to be very careful not to shock the eggs with heat. We know what happens then–the eggs scramble. We’re looking for a smooth introduction of heat to the egg mixture so then it can be incorporated into the saucepan to thicken.
This sauce will not get very thick, even after constantly whisking for the full 10 minutes. Just keep that in mind.
Before serving, give the sauce a taste. See if it’s missing anything. I ended up adding the remaining half of the lemon, despite the recipe asking for only half. Taste for the need of salt and pepper.
I ended up adding a good amount of pepper and a pinch or two of salt to bring out the flavors of the garlic and lemon. Unfortunately, it just still didn’t please my taste buds. Maybe there wasn’t enough garlic. The recipe called for 1 minced clove of garlic. I ended up adding 2, and the flavor still didn’t come through like I wanted.
My thoughts here are that the recipe itself is good, but the pairing may be off. A light sauce paired with a light fish does not often equal a strong combination. It is possible, but you need that something that makes the flavor pop.
Grey’s Grade: 3.5/5
I love cooking light because there is still an opportunity for delightful flavors that tickle your taste buds in a very pleasant way. Unfortunately this recipe was a miss for me. I re-read the directions, confirmed I followed the steps exactly, and it still just wasn’t working for me. I looked at the pictures in the original recipe to compare against my plate. The color matched up. The consistency matched up.
Recipes will sound good until you take the plunge and try them. My palette is used to more vibrant flavors, but I can appreciate a light dish. Light to me means that it doesn’t weigh you down, doesn’t leave you feeling like you need to take a nap right after. Light here meant that it was a whisper of flavor. I spent my time moving my fork around my plate, searching for that delightful flavor but it never appeared.
My recommendation would still be to give this a try, because perhaps you may prefer a dish like this. Everyone has their own preference, but I am here to give you my honest opinion and also provide some recommendations.
I think that this sauce would do well with another type of fish, perhaps salmon? That would be worth a try. I know that I would love to try this recipe again, but with some revisions to bring out the flavor of garlic and lemon. Those flavors really reserve to shine.
I know I will be trying more of Haute and Healthy Livings recipes, so stay tuned for future reviews!
As always…happy nomming!
Grey
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