Whitefish Roulade with Chesapeake Bay Seafood Stuffing

Since I was so nicely rested, compliments of Sunday morning's time change, I thought I'd put together something a little special for dinner last night—Whitefish Roulade with Chesapeake Bay Seafood Stuffing.

What you'll need:

2- 8 oz. fresh Whitefish fillets, "pinned and skinned" (pin bones and skin removed)
1 # fresh scallops
5 or 6 large shrimp, peeled and deveined.
1 can blue crab claw meat (usually found in your grocer's fresh seafood dept.)
1/2 c. celery
1/2 c. sweet onion
1/4 c. green bell pepper
1/4 c. sweet red pepper
1 clove fresh garlic
1 c. Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed
1 c. bread crumbs, plain
2 eggs, blended with a fork
1 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. white wine
Salt, Pepper, lemon pepper and Paprika to taste

Mince the onions, celery, peppers and garlic and saute in 2 Tbs. butter until lightly caramelized.

In a medium saucepan add the scallops, shrimp, crab meat and 1 c. water. Simmer until the seafood is about 3/4 cooked. Gently strain the seafood from the broth and set aside. Add the crackers and bread crumbs to the saucepan of broth; stir to combine, cover and set aside. When the seafood has cooled, chop the larger pieces into bite-size tidbits.

This Whitefish was swimming in the Great Lakes on Friday. The Whitefish harvest is in full-swing right now and arriving right off the boats to the fish house, fresh daily. I had Dan stop at Cam's Big Stone Bay Fishery, Mackinaw City, to pick up the fish on Saturday afternoon. The boys at the fish market were even kind enough to pin and skin the fish, saving me the trouble. I cut each 8 oz. fillet in half.

Place each portion on a piece of cling wrap and fold the wrap over the top of the fish. With the flat, broad-side of a meat mallet, gently flatten each fillet to 1/8" to 1/4" in thickness. Be careful not to pound holes through the fillet.

Add two eggs, 3/4 c. melted butter, white wine and the seafood to the cracker/crumb mixture in the saucepan. Stir to combine. Last night I used a nice Chardonnay for the recipe and served the rest with dinner—minus the glass I drank while I was working in the kitchen, of course! :D

Place a 1/2 c. scoop of stuffing on the center of each Whitefish fillet, roll and place seam-side down on a buttered baking sheet pan. Brush the top of each roulade with melted butter and season with salt, lemon pepper and parsley. Dust lightly with Paprika.

Spray a small casserole dish with non-stick coating (PAM) and fill with the remainder of the seafood stuffing. Bake uncovered @ 350˚ for 40 to 45 minutes or until done.

A few words about the presentation seen here: For this meal, I mashed potatoes, gently folded in some shredded, mild cheddar cheese and piped them through a large pastry bag with a star tip onto a maple cutting board. I cut a tomato into two "crowns", dusted them with shredded Parmesan cheese and granulated garlic, topped them with a button mushroom cap and placed them onto the board inside the lower "compartment" I created with the mashed potatoes. I placed the entire board in the oven on broil long enough to lightly brown the potatoes and cook the tomatoes.

While the potatoes were browning, I made a small batch of Hollandaise Sauce (Don't sweat the small stuff—use Knorr or McCormick's) and steamed asparagus in a separate pan. When the potatoes were done, I placed the asparagus spears between the tomato crowns and drizzled them with the Hollandaise.

Finally, I arranged the Whitefish Roulade in a second potato "compartment" on the board. I left room at the bottom of the board for a crusty baguette and two small ramekins—one for additional Hollandaise and a second with olive oil for the bread.

Serve the entire display on the board right at the table. Word of caution: Don't forget to pick up a fresh lemon at the store to cut and serve with the fish just because I did. *ahem!*

When you'd rather visit with your company, I love the fact that I can prepare most of this planked Whitefish dinner in advance—the Whitefish Roulade, the potatoes can be ready for the broiler on the board, etc. All you really need to do at the last minute is cook the fish, brown the potatoes and tomatoes while you warm the baguette and steam the asparagus. Serves 4 as shown; however, you can easily adjust portions (number of fish fillets, etc.) to accommodate more.

It's guaranteed to impress—and the stuffing is out of this world!

~ Robin