CSF= baked stuffed sole :)

Happy 4th to you!!  It was a great holiday weekend, lots of cookouts and very little cooking in.  So I'll pick up where I last left off... I had just received my first Community Supported Fishery (CSF) share from the Cape Ann Fresh Catch at the Cape Ann Farmer's Market.  Cape Ann Fresh Catch boasts "Local, Sustainably-caught, wicked-fresh fish direct to you"-- cutting out the middle man so all proceeds go directly to the fisherman.  The CSF promises a wide variety of North Atlantic fish including Cod, Haddock, Whiting, Monkfish, and Pollock.  Just two days before my pick-up I read an article in Edible Boston written by Roz Cummins, in which she pointed out some of the flaws of the CSF last summer, one of which being the lack of variety, stating "By the end of the summer I had eaten enough cod to last a lifetime." 
I started to question if this was maybe the wrong decision but being the optimist I am, I headed to the market cooler in tow anxious and excited to receive my first share.  My first pick-up included 5 whole Grey Sole fish, a nice and unexpected surprise.   It's very thin, mild-flavored white fish, and an intimidating fish for my first lesson on filleting.  The fish weren't very big either, only making the task more challenging.  Luckily my Uncle Danny was kind enough to offer his knifing skills and fillet it as I watched.  First he trimmed off the fins and tail, then cleaned each fish to the bone. 

Despite the small size of the fish, I was pleased with the amount of fish we got after filleting.  I rinsed the fish and got to work.  Let me preface this recipe by saying, it is a VERY RARE occasion you will read the word BUTTER in my blogs.  I am a little butter-phobic but there are just some occasions where substitutions just won't due.  And really, what kind of life would this be with no butter or full fat cheese??  Sometimes you just have to splurge and enjoy the finer things in life.  And white fish is a very healthy source of protein, so it's okay to use rich ingredients every now and again, especially when cooking with a lean meat like sole.  But do embrace this butter-loving moment, because they are few and far between. 

Baked Stuffed Sole (serves 6)
Ingredients:
About 2 lbs fresh Sole (rinse in cold water & pat dry)
4 tbsp butter
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1/2 large Vidalia onion, chopped

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium heat.  Next add the onions.  When the onions start to soften and become translucent add the Ritz cracker crumbs, mix and cook for a minute or two. 

Grease a 9x13 baking dish with a little butter (that's right, MORE butter... about a teaspoon) so the fish doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Layer the fish in the dish.  If the fish has skin, layer it skin-side down.  Once the fish is cooked, the skin will come right off, but you can eat the skin too if you'd like.  Then spread the cracker crumb mixture evenly atop the fish. 

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes.  It is done when the fish flakes with the touch of a fork.

Drizzle with a little lemon juice and serve with a fresh ear of corn on the cob and you have a deliciously local and sustainable New England meal! 

 Note the little morsel of fried fish on my plate... there was some left over sole that my mom decided to make into real fish sticks.  She coated the fish with a layer of flour, dipped it in egg, coated with another layer of flour and fried in a shallow pan of canola oil.  I had to try it and they were WAY better than anything you'd find in the freezer section!  Stay tuned throughout the summer for weekly local fish recipes!