Week 30: Auntie Does Fish
When I selected this recipe, I thought for sure that it would be easy to write something of relevance, because it was my mom’s Aunt (my great-aunt) Dot’s recipe. But, after five days of stewing, I’ve got nothing. What’s the reason, you ask? I have virtually no personal memories of my Aunt Dot, and the information I’ve been told is scarce. Here’s what I know:
- My mom loved her dearly and only spoke very sweetly of her Aunt Dot.
- When my mom was a teenager and was having problems with her mother (most likely due to her alcoholism – see week 28), she lived with Aunt Dot.
- She was married to my Uncle Skip, a man who gave me the creeps and was one of those relatives that I was made to hug and kiss even though I didn’t want to (darn that old fashion parenting advice)
- I wasn’t allowed to attend the memorial service, but I did go to the wake. I guess I was considered too young, which I now find entertaining, because I was considered too young to go to a somber funeral, but not too young to go to the wake with my Irish relatives who were getting hammered. Go figure!
As I’m writing this, I realize how unfortunate it is that I didn’t have close relationships with my aunts and uncles as I was growing up. That lack of a relationship in my life has truly impacted the way that I engage and interact with my nephews and nieces. I couldn’t love my role of Auntie Kit any more than I do, and I’m so grateful that my sisters have allowed me to be an active part of their (and their children’s’) lives.
We’ve enjoyed fort building, sleepovers, cupcake making, exploring the woods, arts and crafts, movie nights, and much more. I had no idea that I could love kids that weren’t my own direct offspring so much! There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do for them. As Monica from the sitcom Friends said, upon meeting her nephew for the first time, “I will always have gum.”
In other words, I will ALWAYS be a solid rock for them. I can only hope that my mom thought that way about her Aunt Dot because everyone needs that special someone in their life.
Original Recipe
I love that my mom used the term “glop” 🙂
The Process:
While I recall loving this recipe has a kid, there’s very little about this recipe that sounds good to me now, as an adult. So, I decided to do a complete recipe revamp.
For starters, I wasn’t sure if there was a particular reason why milk was added to the whitefish. Would it bring out the flavor? Would it make the fish tender and flaky? I called my friend Janet (from Rhode Island), who I consider to be “THE fish and seafood chef” and after running through the original recipe ingredients with her, she determined that there was no pertinent reason that the milk was in the dish and it could be substituted with vegetable broth.
Also, ketchup?! Well, that just had to go! It’s not that ketchup is inherently horrible, but I just think it’s too processed and has a great deal of sugar per spoonful. My thought was that by replacing this ingredient with fresh tomatoes, I could get that delicious tomato flavor and moisture without the added filler ingredients.
The Results:
I’m really happy with the creation of this new recipe; it’s much like a casserole or a one-dish meal and could certainly become a new family favorite. This week’s happy taster said, “I like that everything is all together.” The fish was tender, but didn’t fall apart, the potatoes were cooked well, the spinach added a nice flavor (not to mention fiber, vitamins, and minerals), and the broth tasted delicious when soaked into a piece of bread.
I did learn a few things though and have made some adaptations to the final recipe. I felt that it needed more potatoes and spinach, as there was too much broth in the pan, so I made some more on the side for serving.
Overall, I definitely recommend you try this as a family fish casserole dish.
Layered Fish Dish Recipe
Ingredients:
1 to 1-1/2 pounds of Haddock, cod or flounder (1 to 1-1/2 ” thick)
Two medium or large russet potatoes
2 – 3 Roma tomatoes
3 cups spinach
1/2 large onion sliced (or more to taste)
3/4 cup vegetable broth (the amount of this ingredient will vary depending on whether you would like to serve broth for bread dipping)
Fresh or dried thyme to taste
A few pinches of Salt and pepper
Olive or other oil of choice to grease the pan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Wash and pat dry fish
Slice tomatoes, potatoes, and onions 1/4 -1/2 inch slices
Wash and dry spinach
Lightly drizzle the bottom of the pan with oil
Layer the ingredients in the pan in this order:
potatoes
spinach
fish
tomato
onion
Pour broth over the top, and sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper
Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30-40 minutes
Note: Originally, I baked this for 30 minutes, but it wasn’t done. The perfect cook time for me was 45 minutes, but honestly, I think that my oven temperature might have been off.
Week 30 Recipe Pick
This is soooooo gross! How am I going to replace deviled ham? If you have ideas send them my way.
I’m also really surprised my mom spelled potato incorrectly…that was not like her at all!
The SDM on the right are her initials.
What can you do that will make you want to clap your hands this week?
Mmmmm!
The most excellent reason to use milk is that the lactic acid will counter any ‘fishy’ taste. ‘Fishy’ comes from “not quite perfectly fresh”; lots of fish recipes include ‘countermeasures’ because it was hard to get perfectly fresh fish. I live in a fishing port and I never need to eat fish that wasn’t caught this morning. (I will sometimes buy frozen or day old products, but its a choice.) Anyway, you don’t need milk if your fish is perfect, you’ld want it otherwise.
Fabulous information Dane, thank you! While my mom lived in a fishing town, it is likely my Aunt Dot did not. Or possibly mom cooked this a lot because she could buy less than fresh fish at a reduced expense. Thank you!
About that potatoe. Opinions seems to change pretty rapidly when it comes to English. In grade school I was taught that both spellings are correct, that it was a matter of preference, or perhaps of region. Same with tomatoe. Nowadays just about everyone seems to agree that the singular lacks an ‘e’, the plural requires it. Anyway, as long ago as that was written, it wouldn’t have been *wrong*.
Well that’s a relief..I noticed she used both spellings 🙂
This sounds absolutely delicious! … could nearly take this vegan over the edge! Always entertaining, great photos !!
Thank you my dear! <3
I remember this recipe now but had completely forgotten about it. Wow! Catsup on fish…a sin in an area like Seattle or Narragansett. Nice overhaul of it, Kit.
I was the only one of we Sisters/Daughters who loved and adored Aunt Dot. I suspect she felt the same way about me because we lived back there my first 7 years of life and I was her first Grand Niece, and was Mom’s first daughter, as well. She was strict and seemed cold too many people. If I’d been married to that bastard, Uncle Skip, all those years, I’d be uptight, too. Anyway, I loved her! When we returned to RI from California, she was curious about how open and welcoming we were. After all, it was California of the 1960’s we had been living in for almost 10yrs and Providence was still more socially close to the cuff. She and I continued to communicate when I went off to college. I was devistated when she died earlier than the doctors had given her and I hadn’t had a chance to get home to see her one last time. (I was still naive enough to believe what the doctors told you was fact.) She was a loving Aunt to me, maybe not in the way we’ve been able to be Aunts to our Sister’s children. You’re right, I think all of us work at being good Aunt’s because we didn’t have any in our lives. I love being an Aunt and, like you, would do anything for my Nieces and Nephews!
Thanks for the memories, good and not so good. Hugs!
So glad to read more about her Kyle…thank you xoxo