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Michael Midgley's Trout and Salmon with Lemon-Thyme Cream Sauce

Michael Midgley's Trout and Salmon with Lemon-Thyme Cream Sauce and Basil Oil

October 3, 2008
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The first recipe I chose to make was Michael Midgley's Trout and Salmon with Lemon-Thyme Cream Sauce and Basil Oil, from Season 2, Episode 9 - it was an Elimination Challenge where the remaining seven contestants were asked to make a 7-course meal inspired by the seven deadly sins - Michael's "sin" was "ENVY."
(Note that I made the recipe for 5 people, so I increased all quantities by 25%.)
Choosing your fish:
Michael's thought process behind the dish, as I recall, was to serve two kinds of seafood - one sophisticated, the other less "refined" - and the less refined fish would be "envious" of the sophisticated one. I believe that originally, Michael wanted to use lobster as his "privileged" seafood. Unfortunately, when he went to the market, there was no lobster to be found, so he switched up the plan, and chose salmon to be the "upscale" fish, and trout to be its ugly stepsister. Well, in the spirit of last-minute change-ups, when I went to market for my fish, I couldn't find any trout. Seriously! It's not like trout is such a rare fish.
Nonetheless, not to be deterred, I chose catfish. As you may recall, even in Cinderella, there were two stepsisters. So I chose stepsister #2, and if you've ever seen a catfish, trust me - this one is the uglier of the two stepsisters! (I actually think trout is a quite a beauty myself.) I had also considered using tilapia, but decided against it. Trout is a slightly bony and distinctive tasting fish, as is catfish. Tilapia, on the other hand, is a flaky and very mild-tasting fish. Also, although found all over the world, catfish is viewed as a quintessential "American" fish, as is trout, whereas tilapia has more Asian connotations. Anyway, to make the difference between the salmon and the catfish all the more distinct, the salmon I purchased was Wild Alaskan King salmon at $39.99/lb. The catfish was just $9.99/lb. Enough said.
(Note:  I did all my shopping for this dish at Eli's in Manhattan to be assured the highest-quality fish and produce. So, I knew that notwithstanding the price, the "wild" salmon was indeed "wild" and not farmed.)
Making the Sauce
I chose to make the sauces first, because timing this dish correctly is of ultimate importance. All the vegetables and the fish are essentially made "a la minute" (French for "at the last minute"). You don't really want to make any of the vegetables or fish ahead of time and then reheat them when it's time to plate because the fresh taste and texture of the vegetables will be severely diminished and the fish will likely end up overcooked. However, the sauces can be made first. The basil oil only needs to be used at room temperature, and the cream sauce can be reheated when it comes time to plate.
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