We've all been there. Over one of your many holiday gatherings when friends and family graciously bring a bottle of wine to be shared, and you are left the next day with many half bottles of wine. Normally, this is a problem I like to have...hiccup, because I get to have a small wine tasting the following day without reaching into the wine cooler. Well, that is, unless you get a less than stellar bottle...
Really, I have nothing against riesling, but I usually prefer a drier variety. (Actually, I think I drank this in my early 20's when I didn't know wine from wine coolers.) So, since I hate to waste anything, especially wine, I went to my fall back - cook with it.
This was a bit more challenging, because many recipes using white wine, call for dry white wines, where you wouldn't want a fruity sweet variety for fear or ruining the flavor of the dish. So, after much thought, I decided to combine my love of fish with this wine. This is a simple combination of ingredients, that really paired well and made a lovely main dish. Enhancing the fruitiness of the wine, I topped the fish with mango, avocado, and a few strips of red bell pepper. A little sea salt and fresh ground pepper is all you need to add to the final touches.
So here is exactly what I did for this fast and easy use of leftover white wine.
For 2 servings:
2 mild white fish fillets - I used orange roughy, but tilapia, sole, cod, etc would work.
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste (with mild white fish varieties, I would NOT use chardonnay as it would overpower the fish)
1/2 mango, sliced
1/2 avocado, sliced
few red bell pepper strips and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro or chives
Grill or broil approximately 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.
The fish was delicious, and probably the simplest preparation I've ever done. Also, it is low in fat and calories, which makes it the perfect post-holiday - tighten-the-belt type meal.
Serve with a dry riesling or torrontes for a great pairing.
6 comments:
This looks great...light...which is just whatI need right now!
Good call on the Riesling with the sweetish salsa topping. I used to be a Riesling lover in the early wine drinking days but now it's too much for me. Great use of so-so wine :)
There are many dry Rieslings that are delicious and should help overcome your phobia of "fruity" sweet wines - look for Rieslings from Austria or Australia, as they are almost invariably dry. Try the Gobelsburger from Austria if you can find it - delicate, citrusy, it would be wonderful with your fish dish!
http://dmwineline.typepad.com/wineline/2008/12/gobelsburger-riesling-2007-20.html
Sorry to hear that you ended up with a bottle of wine you didn't care for. I'm actually a huge riesling fan, but there can be so many bad bottles. Currently my favorite is Kung Fu girl out of washington as it's the best American bottle I've ever had. We also drank a sparkling riesling last night that we picked up while in CA and it was surprisingly good.
Beautiful dinner! What a great use of a not-so-great bottle. I have many not-so-fond memories of that particular riesling from my college days as well... :)
Mo,
While I always prefer to drink Schmitt Sohne Riesling, I applaud your resourcefulness in re-purposing your party left-overs in cooking. Your creation sounds quite tasty, not to mention healthy!
You mentioned that you prefer drier style Rieslings. You might want to try our RELAX Riesling, it's an off-dry and slightly drier than the Schmitt Sohne Blue Bottle you used in your recipe (if you're not familiar with the brand, you can see the package at www.RELAXwines.com).
By the way, based on your party left-overs, it appears that one your friends has great taste in Rieslings!
All the Best to You for 2009!
Chris Klau
President, Schmitt Sohne Wines
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