Baked Lingcod with Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lingcod fillets
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 cup clam juice
• 1/2 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp minced shallots
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/2 pound unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley

Directions

1. Start with the sauce. Combine the first 6 sauce ingredients, the clam juice, sherry, whole milk, garlic, shallots and bay leaf, in a pot and bring them to a boil. Continue boiling until the liquid has reduced by half.
2. In a separate saucepan, 1-qt minimum, make the roux. Warm 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat until it foams, then scatter in the flour. Whisk with a metal whisk for a couple of minutes, until the mixture is smooth and tan, but not brown.
3. Add the reduced liquid to the roux gradually, whisking fast as you pour so everything comes together. The roux may puff and bubble when the first splash goes in, which is fine. Just keep adding the liquid and whisking it in.
4. Lower the heat. Whisk in the butter slowly, adding it 2 tablespoons at a time.
5. Stir in the lemon juice, salt and white pepper. If the sauce feels too thick, loosen it with a little more clam stock or water. Mix in the chopped parsley just before serving.
6. Now make the fish. Set an oven rack so the fish, once it is on its baking pan, will sit 4 to 5 inches from the heat. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Rinse the fish under cold water, then cut it into serving pieces if needed. Pull out any bones with fish-bone tweezers or spotless clean pliers. Place the fish flat in an aluminum foil lined baking pan.
8. Coat both sides of the pieces with enough olive oil to cover them lightly. Season both sides with a few shakes of salt and pepper.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes, just until the fish is cooked through.
10. To check it, slip the tip of a knife into the thickest part of a fillet. It is ready when the center has changed from translucent to opaque. After it comes out of the oven, it will keep cooking for a few minutes.
11. Spoon the sauce over the fish to serve. Rice, crusty bread and a simple salad are good alongside.