Ginger Steamed Sole, Jicama, Basil Juice

Yo ,Yo.

There is a person in my life who freakishly loves lemon sole.  I've pan seared lemon sole before, but since the fish is so delicate and flaky, it often presents presentation problems for me.  I decided to cook the sole en papillote - wrapped inside a sealed parchment paper with only a splash of olive oil, squeeze of lemon juice, salt, pepper, and plenty of large chunks of fresh ginger.  The sealed packet, which cooks in the oven for  roughly 15 minutes, allows the fish to pick up the flavors of the ginger while steaming to a tender juiciness in the packet.

I sliced jicama and tossed it with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and a bit of chopped basil for a crunchy accompaniment.  The big decision for me was how to add a burst of flavor to the dish while keeping it light.  As I've been mentioning, my new juicer has been a revelation to me.  I had a ton of basil, so I juiced a couple of bunches to create a vibrant, clear basil juice.  The juice exploded with basil flavor, yet would act as a simple condiment to the fish by simply whisking it with just a bit of olive oil, lemon juice and salt.

I have been making herb juices frequently.  In the above photo, I did not blanch the herbs before juicing, which created a darker basil juice.  I now run the herbs under very hot water for a few seconds before juicing , allowing for a brighter,  vibrantly green herb juice.  Hey - you juice, you learn.

Comments

[Nicole]

What a wonderful use for a juicer! I have one and have been contemplating getting rid of it as I hardly ever use it. But herb juices would be just the thing. I bet they would freeze well too for winter use. Or to use them in sorbets.

This summer I made a cucumber/ginger sorbet by juicing both items before adding sugar over heat, and then putting them in the ice cream maker. It was wonderful in the 110 degree art opening it was served at.

I can just imagine the glory of Basil Cucumber.

~ Nicole

[joe]

hi nicole,

definitely keep the juicer! it's great for uses as you've mentioned, but also a great way to create bases for soups. i did the corn juice soup which is on this site, but i also think there is potential to juice many other veggies for soups. i will definitely experiment and post them here once the weather gets cooler.

[Tim]

I have only just found your site and love it. Great photography and inspirational foodie ideas. Keep it going!

[joe]

thanks, tim. welcome aboard.

[Stephanie Beack]

Joe, I also just found your blog. Lots in common...fellow New Yorker, I love my juicer, ginger is one of my favorite ingredients and tomorrow I've got a post coming on the Orange Roughy en Papillote I did with cranberry beans.. Come on over to Scrumptious Street, http://scrumptious.typepad.com to check it out. I like your sole post and will try it too!