Tilapia with Black Butter Sauce

I hope those of you who are Irish, even if only for the day, enjoyed your Irish holiday. I have a lot of Irish, Scottish and Welsh in me, as well as most of the Northern European bloods. My dad was an Aussie, and the early Australian colonials were predominantly Irish, Scottish or Welsh (they were sent over mostly as prisoners).

I know most people cook corned beef and cabbage as their St. Patrick’s Day feast, but I rarely do. I mean, I do cook corned beef on occasion, in fact, I will cook it for tonight’s dinner. I just rarely cook it for St. Patrick’s Day. First, I am not a big fan of corned beef and second, I just like to do other things and celebrate with other Irish foods. For whatever reason, I tend to cook a lot of seafood for our St. Patrick’s Day dinners. This time was no different. I cooked some tilapia with a black butter sauce, that I served over mashed potatoes and an Irish vegetable casserole on the side, along with some warmed bread and a chilled, crisp chardonnay.

For this recipe, you can use any white fish you like. I just happened to have tilapia on hand, so that is what I used. It was super easy-peasy and simple, but it was also very, very good. This particular recipe is an Anglo-Irish favorite.

Since Ireland is an island, known as the Emerald Isle, seafood is eaten a lot and is a staple to the Irish diets, particularly those who live by the seashores. Often times the people eat whatever seafood has been caught for the day, so many of the recipes are flexible and go with whatever the daily catch brings in.

Whitefish with Black Butter Sauce

1 1/2 lbs whitefish of your choice

1 onion, diced fine

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

fresh parsley, chopped fine

a sprinkle of salt or fleur de sel to taste

Black Butter Sauce

4 oz butter

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

Place the fish in a large skillet, add the onions and parsley and white wine vinegar, then completely cover the fish and toppings with cold water. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the fish and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a separate pan and let it brown. As soon as it is a rich, dark brown, add the white wine vinegar and mix together well. Dish up the fish and serve it with the black butter sauce on top.

This is simply delicious. The butter sauce is very light with a very unique flavor. And yes, it is a dark brown sauce.

Slainte is tainte or health and wealth to all of you.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.