By Last week of July. Megan and I drove to Door County for a long weekend — our first real trip together, if you don't count the day trip in the spring. Tom and Linda lent us the cabin they rent every summer — a one-bedroom A-frame near Egg Harbor with a view of Green Bay and a kitchen from 1987 that I somehow made work.
Three days of doing nothing. We swam in the bay, walked the shops in Fish Creek, ate cherry pie at every roadside stand because Door County is cherry country and you don't visit without eating your body weight in cherries. I cooked dinner every night in the tiny cabin kitchen: pan-seared walleye the first night (caught fresh from a local fisherman), grilled steaks the second night, and a pasta with cherry tomatoes and basil the third night because after two days of heavy cooking I wanted something light.
Megan read three books in three days. She lay in the hammock with her feet up and her sunglasses on and a book in her hand and she looked like someone who had been doing this her entire life. I sat nearby with a beer and watched the water and thought about the pierogi shop again. The idea is getting louder. Not ready. But louder.
On the drive home, Megan fell asleep with her face against the window — her move, every road trip — and I drove through the farmland south of Sturgeon Bay and listened to the Counting Crows and felt the kind of contentment that I used to think only existed in movies about people who have their lives figured out. I don't have my life figured out. But I have Megan and the Jeep and the road and that's close enough.
That first night in the Egg Harbor cabin — walleye from a local fisherman, a cast-iron pan I found in the back of a cabinet, and Megan setting the table on the porch — is the kind of dinner I want to remember forever. The fish was so fresh it barely needed anything, and somewhere between the butter and the bay view it occurred to me that good white fish, treated right, can taste like something you ordered somewhere expensive. That’s the whole idea behind Mock Lobster: take a firm, sweet white fish fillet, give it the low-and-slow poaching treatment with a few simple ingredients, and let the texture and richness do the work. If you ever find yourself in a tiny kitchen with fresh fish and someone worth cooking for, this is the recipe.
Mock Lobster
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs firm white fish fillets (walleye, cod, haddock, or cusk), cut into large chunks
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the poaching liquid. In a wide, shallow saucepan or skillet, combine the water, white wine, salt, sugar, Old Bay seasoning, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Add the fish. Carefully lower the fish chunks into the simmering liquid in a single layer. The liquid should just barely cover the fish — add a splash more water if needed.
- Poach low and slow. Reduce heat to medium-low and poach the fish for 10–14 minutes, until the flesh is opaque all the way through and flakes easily when pressed. Do not boil — a gentle simmer is what gives the fish its tender, lobster-like texture.
- Make the butter sauce. While the fish poaches, melt the butter in a small saucepan or in the microwave. Stir in the lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
- Remove and drain. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fish chunks to a serving platter or individual plates. Discard the bay leaf and poaching liquid.
- Serve immediately. Spoon the warm lemon butter over the fish, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve with lemon wedges alongside crusty bread or roasted potatoes.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 240 | Protein: 31g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 2g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 480mg