Connecticut River Shad with Asparagus | A Recipe for Shad Season
Tracy Medeiros loves farmers and local food. She’s written two books about the homegrown delights of her adopted state of Vermont—Dishing up Vermont and The Vermont Farm Table Cookbook. And now, with co-author Christy Colasurdo, she is exploring the local cuisine of Connecticut with The Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook (Countryman Press, 2015). If your only […]
1 bunch sorrel (see Notes), washed, thick stems discarded, and chopped into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 (6-ounce) shad fillets (see Notes), skin removed, deboned
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the asparagus: Cut the asparagus into 4-inch lengths. Blanch in salted boiling water for 1 minute. Strain and place in ice water.
To make the sorrel sauce: Place the wine and shallot in a medium-size saucepan, and bring to a boil over low heat, about 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and reduce until most of the wine has evaporated, whisking frequently. Slowly whisk in the cream and reduce by half, whisking frequently. Lower the heat to low and slowly whisk in the butter. Add the chopped sorrel and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the fish and season with salt and pepper. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for about 3 minutes (the fish should be slightly undercooked). Remove from the oven, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
To finish: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet over medium heat. Add the asparagus and sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
To serve, divide the asparagus between two plates, arranging them in the center of each plate. Place the shad on top of the asparagus and drizzle the sauce over the fish and asparagus, to taste. Serve at once.
Amy Traverso
Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series Weekends with Yankee, a coproduction with WGBH. Previously, she was food editor at Boston magazine and an associate food editor at Sunset magazine. Her work has also been published in The Boston Globe, Saveur, and Travel & Leisure, and she has appeared on Hallmark Home & Family, The Martha Stewart Show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay, and Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Amy is the author of The Apple Lover’s Cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Award for best first-time author and won an IACP Cookbook Award in the “American” category.