Suffering from Experience

My culinary resume was once very short. Very, very short. And as culinary school progressed, I went to different jobs, added to my experience. Now my resume is very long, almost two pages. I guess it looks like I've hopscotched my way through the last two years. So now, rather than suffering from lack of experience, I now suffer from too much. Too many places, too little time at them. Some were my own fault, some not. I'm not saying I never made mistakes. But I've landed on my feet, most of the time.
My theory is this; it makes little or no sense to stay somewhere that you hate. It makes equally little sense to stay where you learn nothing. Some things are not meant to be long term. It doesn't make me less responsible, or less dedicated to my work. I work hard, I expect to be treated decently, if that doesn't happen, then don't expect to have me to kick around for very long.
Won't happen.

Fry Me a River

Fried fish can be many things. It can be dipped in beer batter, deep fried and served with chips. It can be coated with egg and cornmeal, buttermilk and crushed cereal, almost any combination is acceptable, if not always palatable. You can use almost any white fish you like; tilapia, cod, grouper if you feel really ambitious. This is my take on flounder, which I like for frying because of it's mild taste and thin fillets. It cooks fast, which is handy, because you don't want it to take forever or the crust will burn.

Firecracker Flounder

Ingredients

3 flounder filets

1 pint of whole milk

2-3 tbsp. tobasco sauce

2 c. flour

Old Bay seasoning

oil, canola or veggie, for frying

2 tbsp. butter, for same

1. Soak flounder in milk which has been liberally doctored with the tobasco sauce. You can use as much or as little as you would like. Also, put the flour in a shallow, flat pan and add as much Old Bay as you would like.

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the oil. Allow this to heat until the butter foams and the oil shimmers.

3. Take the flounder out of the milk and pat them dry. Not completely dry, just so they aren't dripping.

4. Lay the flounder in the pan of flour and coat both sides liberally, shaking off the excess.

5. Put the fish in the pan, gently! Always lay it away from you, to avoid nasty splashes of hot oil.

6. Give the fish approx. 6-7 minutes on each side, depending on size, etc.

7. Remove to a paper-lined plate and sprinkle with a bit of fine salt.

Serve it up with some tomatoes and coleslaw, or corn on the cob and enjoy!

Cook's Notes: Make sure the oil is good and hot. You want the crust to seal, not soak up the fat. If your fish pieces seem to big or unwieldy, cut them into smaller pieces. Be not afraid!