Pom Dinner Party - Pomegranate Court Bouillion Flounder!

Are you following along, I am covering my 7 course POM DINNER PARTY in detail.  7 courses plus drinks and bread, 7 different sauces used to make the meal.  Everything from a sweet Pom Grenadine (used to make the Drinks), a thick heavy honey like Pom Molasses (used to make the Bread), a savory Pom Garlic Infused Sauce (used to make an Olive Tapenade Straw and a Creole Shrimp and Artichoke Soup), a Pom/Balsamic Reduction (used to flavor an Insalata Caprese Salad), a Persian Pomegranate Sharbat Sauce (used frozen as a Sorbet)... well, the rest have yet to be posted (but will later today and tomorrow... multiple posts each day so come back often).

Today, we will cover the Fish Course.  This recipe has several advantages.  It is incredibly easy, with only a bit of prep work needed to make it perfect.  This time, with all the sauces I made, I used Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice straight.  No simmering, boiling or flavoring.  Just the tangy sweet juice straight.


The other advantage is that it is almost impossible to over cook the fish.  My on going efforts to rid the world of over cooked, TOO dry fish continues.

Fish is meant to be tender, moist and filled with flavor.  I am amused by the number of people who would cringe at the idea of a well done steak would cook all the flavor out of a fish.  But, I am just stunned by the number of restaurants that serve these abominations.  Well, no more and never again I say!

So, no excuses... Moist tender fish, Rich deep Pomegranate flavorings makes this Cajun recipe a sure winner!

Since I just mentioned Cajun, you probably know the first step...

First, Make a Roux 

Don't be intimidated by a roux either.  Equal parts butter and flour, cooked over a medium low heat until rich, dark and smells of nuts.  Three tricks to rouxs...

• Slow is best.  Do not get the liquid boiling.
• Stir and stir and stir.  Do not stop stirring for anything.  Depending on the heat, will take about 10-15 minutes.  Once you start, don't answer the phone, kiss the husband, change the baby or scratch an itch.
• Learn to take pride in your roux.  I can get mine a deep, a little bit darker than milk chocolate color.  Once it starts burning though, there is no fixing it, so be careful and remove from heat just before it burns (isn't that a tough direction).  Pride in your roux will change a pain in the arse to a joy.

OK... Now it's time to cook...

First, Make a Roux
5 TBS Butter
5 TBS Flour

1 cup Celery Diced
1 cup Red Bell Pepper Diced
1 cup Sweet Onion Diced
1/4 cup Garlic Diced
3 Roma Tomatoes (1 pureed, 2 chopped)

3 TBS Cajun Spices (2 mixed in Sauce, 1 sprinkled on top of fish)

I used my own blend of "Big Easy in a Jar"

8 ounces Pom Wonderful Pomegranate Juice

4 pieces of Flounder Fish... About 1 1/2 pounds

Green Onion to garnish
Parsley to garnish

• Make a Roux
• Add the Vegetables and 2 TBS of the Jerk Spices 
• Mix well and saute till the vegetables start to get tender.
• And here is the fun part... Add the Pom Wonderful Juice... It will sizzle!
• Add the Seafood stock
• Bring to a gentle simmer and allow to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally
• Put the fish on top of the simmering liquid.  Do not turn, it is being poached.  Sprinkle some of the Jerk spices over the fish.
• Cover the pan and allow the simmering magic to do what it does... it takes 20 minutes, but again, do not touch the fish.
• For presentation, use a wide spatula to remove the fish.  Plate the vegetables, top with a bit of the reduced liquid, top with the fish And add the garnish.

And the verdict... Absolutely perfect in every way.  The vegetables come out a bright color.  The fish is perfectly cooked.  But best of all, those vegetables have a unique taste that is amazing.  The Pom Juice tang and sweet makes a wonderful sauce to poach fish in.

And if you need a little help in learning to open a Pomegranate to get at the good stuff...

Here's how to open one... VERY neatly (So neatly, I did it over a white towel... No Mess)

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