One of the great hallmarks of classic Florida cookery is the pairing of its celebrated citrus and abundant local fish. This was especially true in the old resort towns along the east coast - now hidden in the folds of multi-story condos and colorful townhomes - where the fruit began to come into season just as the snowbirds arrived to escape the harsh winters of the Northeast and play in the sunshine. An especially delicious example is Sautéed Fish Fillets Palm Beach, which is really nothing more than an adaptation of a French classic - sole à la meunière, which is whole or filleted sole sautéed in clarified butter. It’s a recipe I found in one of my mother-in-law’s cookbooks. She was a Florida girl, born and raised, and the cover of that cookbook is now missing after years of use. I believe it was from a Junior League cookbook, though.
The twist on this recipe is a refreshing lift provided by a finish topping of fresh grapefruit and orange sections. It’s the kind of simple, elegant fare that graced the elite tables of Palm Beach in its heyday as a jazz-age resort, and it might well have been served at Whitehall, the mansion that was the winter home of Henry Flagler, the industrialist who built Florida’s east coast railroad. So far, though, I’ve not been able to trace it back any further than Irma Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking, the classic chronicle of 20th-century American cookery. My copy is stained from years of use, mostly referring to technique rather than actual recipes.
The recipe for this dish, though, goes back to the sixth edition from around 1946, according to a footnote in my mother-in-law’s cookbook. Well, never mind all that; its provenance doesn’t really matter at the table. What does matter is that it’s simple to make, elegant in its presentation, and, most importantly, delicious. It’s an especially lovely way to prepare seasonal Pompano filets or, if you can’t get them, snapper or grouper fillets. Here’s my own interpretation, in which the pan “gravy” is enriched with a little of the fresh grapefruit juice.
Palm Beach Sauteed Fish Filets
Cut the tops and bottoms from the grapefruit and, holding the fruit over a bowl to catch the juice, peel it with a paring knife, cutting all the way through the connective membranes to the inner flesh. With a sharp knife, separate the sections from their membrane and add them to their collected juices. Over a separate bowl, peel and section the orange in the same way and add the sectioned fruit to the bowl with the grapefruit. Set the orange juice aside for another use. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Pat the fish filets dry and season lightly with salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. When the butter is hot, lightly dust both sides with flour and slip them into the pan. Fry, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, one to two minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove the fish to a warm platter or serving plates and alternately arrange the grapefruit and orange sections on top, allowing three or four per serving.
Return the pan to the heat, add the reserved grapefruit juice, stirring and scraping to loosen any cooking residue and bring it to a boil. Let it reduce slightly, then turn off the heat. Stir in half the parsley and whisk in two to four tablespoons of cold butter. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.
Contact Anne Braly at [email protected] or annebraly.com.
The twist on this recipe is a refreshing lift provided by a finish topping of fresh grapefruit and orange sections. It’s the kind of simple, elegant fare that graced the elite tables of Palm Beach in its heyday as a jazz-age resort, and it might well have been served at Whitehall, the mansion that was the winter home of Henry Flagler, the industrialist who built Florida’s east coast railroad. So far, though, I’ve not been able to trace it back any further than Irma Rombauer’s Joy of Cooking, the classic chronicle of 20th-century American cookery. My copy is stained from years of use, mostly referring to technique rather than actual recipes.
The recipe for this dish, though, goes back to the sixth edition from around 1946, according to a footnote in my mother-in-law’s cookbook. Well, never mind all that; its provenance doesn’t really matter at the table. What does matter is that it’s simple to make, elegant in its presentation, and, most importantly, delicious. It’s an especially lovely way to prepare seasonal Pompano filets or, if you can’t get them, snapper or grouper fillets. Here’s my own interpretation, in which the pan “gravy” is enriched with a little of the fresh grapefruit juice.
Palm Beach Sauteed Fish Filets
- 1 large pink grapefruit
- 1 large navel orange
- 4 Tbsp. butter
- 4 5-ounce Pompano filets (snapper or grouper may be substituted)
- Salt and white pepper
- All-purpose flour
- 2-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into bits
- 2 Tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley, divided
Cut the tops and bottoms from the grapefruit and, holding the fruit over a bowl to catch the juice, peel it with a paring knife, cutting all the way through the connective membranes to the inner flesh. With a sharp knife, separate the sections from their membrane and add them to their collected juices. Over a separate bowl, peel and section the orange in the same way and add the sectioned fruit to the bowl with the grapefruit. Set the orange juice aside for another use. Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Pat the fish filets dry and season lightly with salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. When the butter is hot, lightly dust both sides with flour and slip them into the pan. Fry, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, one to two minutes per side depending on the thickness of the fillets. Remove the fish to a warm platter or serving plates and alternately arrange the grapefruit and orange sections on top, allowing three or four per serving.
Return the pan to the heat, add the reserved grapefruit juice, stirring and scraping to loosen any cooking residue and bring it to a boil. Let it reduce slightly, then turn off the heat. Stir in half the parsley and whisk in two to four tablespoons of cold butter. Pour the sauce over the fish, sprinkle with the remaining parsley, and serve at once.
Contact Anne Braly at [email protected] or annebraly.com.
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