Roast Pike with Piquant Herb Butter
- 1 whole pike (about 4 pounds) with head and fins, scaled and cleaned
- 2 to 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 to 3 oregano or marjoram sprigs
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 lemons cut into wedges, for serving
- 1/2 - ounce watercress
- 1/2 - ounce spinach leaves
- 1/2 - ounce parsley
- 1/2 - ounce chervil or chives
- 3 anchovy fillets, soaked in milk
- 1 medium gherkin pickle
- 1 tablespoon capers, drained
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Wash the pike inside out and dry it on paper towels.
- Cut 2 or 3 diagonal slashes in both sides of the fish so the oven heat can penetrate and cook the fish more evenly.
- Tuck herb sprigs into each slash.
- Trim the tail into a neat v shape.
- Set the fish in an oiled baking dish or roasting pan and sprinkle it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast the fish, brushing regularly with more olive oil, until the skin is brown and crisp, 30 to 40 minutes.
- The fish eye will have turned white and the flesh should no longer be transparent; check it by flaking a bit from the backbone with a fork.
- Herb Butter: Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
- Discard the stems from the large watercress and spinach and the large stalks from the parsley and chervil.
- Add the herbs to the boiling water and blanch them by simmering for 2 minutes.
- Drain, rinse with cold water and pat dry on paper towels.
- Drain the anchovies and work them in a food processor with the pickle, capers garlic and butter until finely chopped.
- With the blades turning, slowly pour in the olive oil.
- The herb butter will be creamy and a lovely shade of green.
- Add the mustard and season the butter to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
- To finish, transfer the whole fish to a warm platter and decorate it with lemon wedges.
- Serve the herb butter in a separate bowl.
pike, thyme, oregano, olive oil, salt, lemons, watercress, parsley, chervil, anchovy, gherkin pickle, capers, garlic, butter, olive oil, mustard, lemon juice
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/roast-pike-with-piquant-herb-butter-recipe.html (may not work)