What the Miller’s Wife Knows

Maybe you can’t learn to speak French in 10 minutes, but you can make a traditional French entree in that time. The recipe is easy. Even the history behind the dish is unpretentious.

Snapper a la meuniere is the French way of saying snapper “in the style of the miller’s wife.” As you might expect, the miller and his wife were pretty busy. This means they were always looking for simple dishes that didn’t take too long to prepare. Lucky for us they were French, which means that even though they were down-to-earth people, they insisted on great flavor.

They took their fish--probably sole, not snapper, but, hey, we work with what we’ve got--seasoned it with salt and pepper, dipped it in flour, perhaps from their own mill, and fried the fish in butter. A squeeze of lemon, a sprinkling of parsley and voila, a wonderful fish.

Roasted rosemary potatoes, an avocado-and-grapefruit salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc are terrific with the snapper. For dessert pick up a fruit tart from your favorite bakery.

Menu

Snapper a la Meuniere

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

Snapper a la Meuniere

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 10 minutes

4 (5- to 6-ounce) snapper fillets

Salt, pepper

1/2 cup flour

1 lemon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

6 to 8 sprigs parsley, chopped

* Season fillets on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.

* Lightly coat fillets on all sides with flour, shaking off excess. Set aside on dry plate or pan.

* Heat large skillet over medium heat and add butter. When butter melts, lay fillets in skillet and cook until firm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove fish immediately to dinner plates.

* Squeeze bit of lemon juice over fish.

* Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to pan. Cook until butter starts to brown and immediately pour browned butter over fish.

* Sprinkle fish with chopped parsley and serve.

4 servings. Each serving: 292 calories; 278 mg sodium; 81 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 30 grams protein; 0.04 gram fiber.

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Active Work Time: 5 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, stems removed

1 1/2 to 2 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick

* Stir together olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary in bowl.

* Toss potato slices in oil mixture to thoroughly coat.

* Place potatoes in 1 single layer on baking rack, and put rack on baking sheet with raised edge.

* Drizzle remaining oil and rosemary from bowl over potatoes.

* Bake at 450 degrees until golden, about 25 minutes.

4 servings. Each serving: 257 calories; 600 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.91 gram fiber.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

1 large pink grapefruit

1 large or 2 small avocados

* Peel and section grapefruit, removing all of membrane and seeds. Cut sections into 1/2-inch pieces

* Peel avocado and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Cut slices into 1/2-inch pieces.

* Toss avocado and grapefruit pieces together in bowl.

4 servings. Each serving: 98 calories; 5 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 1.03 grams fiber.

Game Plan

30 minutes before: Heat oven to 450 degrees. Peel and slice the potatoes, mix the olive oil with the seasonings, toss the potato slices in the oil, and put the potatoes into the oven.

25 minutes before: Make the avocado-and-grapefruit salad.

20 minutes before: Heat the skillet for the fish. Chop the parsley.

15 minutes before: Season the fish with salt and pepper, then dredge with flour.

10 minutes before: Cook fish in butter. While the fish is cooking, check the potatoes. If they’re getting brown, lower oven temperature by 150 degrees.

4 minutes before: Put cooked fish on dinner plates. Drizzle lemon juice on the fish.

3 minutes before: Brown butter in the fish pan, then pour brown butter over fish and sprinkle with parsley.

1 minute before: Remove potatoes from oven. Serve with fish and salad.

Ingredients

Staples

Butter

Flour

Olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

Shopping List

1 large or 2 small avocados

1 large pink grapefruit

1 lemon

1 bunch parsley

1 1/2 to 2 pounds baking potatoes

1 bunch rosemary

4 (5- to 6-ounce) red snapper fillets