Winemaker Brian Schmidt and Chef Erik Peacock cook up a tasty fish dish that’s full of summer flavour.

OntarioPan-Seared Pickerel with Celeriac Remoulade

Ingredients:

  • 4 Ontario pickerel fillets
  • Olive oil
  • 1 medium sized celeriac
  • 2 cups plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened
  • 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
  • 1 Tbsp dark maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Chardonnay
  • 2 Tbsp chopped chives
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

Peel the celeriac using a chef’s knife. Using a mandolin, julienne the celeriac and place in large mixing bowl.

Shell fresh peas and add to bowl with celeriac.

In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, mustard, maple syrup, cider vinegar and Chardonnay. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle the vinaigrette over the celeriac and toss to combine. Top with chopped chives and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set aside.

Pre-heat oven to 400 F (204 C).Heat olive oil in large oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. Season pickerel fillets with salt and pepper and place skin side down in the pan. The fillets will curl at the edges as they cook, so press gently with spatula to prevent this. After the fish begins to turn opaque (about three minutes), place pan in pre-heated oven for two to three minutes.  Since pickerel is a flaky whitefish, it’s best to cook it skin side-down the entire time.

Serve with the remoulade and a crisp, cool climate Chardonnay and enjoy.

Chef Peacock’s tip:

In the summer months, your BBQ can act as your stovetop and oven. Heat the BBQ to medium-high heat and place the pan on the grill to heat. Cook as directed above. Instead of transferring to the oven, simply close the BBQ lid to finish cooking. Be careful -- the pan handle will be hot.