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Ingredients

Fish
1 (2-pound) fillet of ling cod
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Lemon-Garlic Butter Sauce
This recipe makes 2 cups, about twice as much as you'll need for the above fish. Refrigerate what is left over and consider using as a topping for potatoes or vegetables.

1/2 cup clam juice
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup whole milk
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp minced shallots
1/2 bay leaf

1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 Tbsp flour

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Method

Prepare the Sauce

1 Reduce first six sauce ingredients (clam juice, sherry, whole milk, garlic, shallots, bay leaf) by half in a small saucepan.

2 In a separate saucepan (1-qt minimum) prepare the roux. Heat one tablespoon of butter in the saucepan on medium heat until it is foamy. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring a couple of minutes with a metal whisk until well mixed (but not browned).

3 Slowly add the reduced mixture to the roux, stirring quickly to incorporate. When you first add some of the mixture, the roux will bubble up. Just keep adding the mixture and keep whisking to incorporate.

4 Lower the heat to low. Slowly whisk in the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time. Add lemon juice, salt, and white pepper. Add some more clam stock if the sauce is too thick.

Prepare the Fish

1 Arrange an oven rack so that when the fish is on a baking pan in the oven it will be 4 to 5 inches from the heat. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 Rinse the fillet in cold water, cut into 2 (1-pound) pieces. Remove any bones with fish-bone tweezers or (spotless clean) pliers. Lay out flat in a aluminum foil lined baking pan. Rub some olive oil over both sides of the pieces, enough to coat. Sprinkle both sides with a few shakes of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until just done. To test, use the tip of a knife to gently cut into the thickest part of the fillet. The fish is done when the fish has just turned from translucent to opaque at the center. Once you pull the fish out of the oven it will continue to cook for a few minutes. (Check this the informative video on this web page: How to Tell When Fish is Done.)

Serves 4.