Chickenfish&Friends_IMG_1807Rose, my sister, and I, had a late lunch/early dinner (linner?) with good friends Fiona and James, and their kids, in the burbs yesterday. We made a day of snacking on our lunch/dinner, sort-of watching the kids (but mostly trusting them not to get in trouble) and catching up.

James had been fishing in Alaska earlier in the summer, and had some lovely filets from his trip. We had to refer to the fish as chicken so that their kids would eat it. I told Rose that it might not taste quite like the kind of chicken she’s used to, and surprisingly, she didn’t blow anyone’s cover.

The two types of “chicken” were halibut and rock fish. James cooked the halibut with tomato sauce, anchovies and capers. It’s a great way to treat a hearty white fish like halibut, which I’ll have to keep in mind.

For the rock fish, James had been working on his battering and frying technique, and had it perfected. He admitted that he’d reluctantly turned to Paula Deen for tips on getting it right. Major political and personality flaws aside, that woman really does know a lot about fried stuff, the rockfish was amazing.

Fiona made a delicious salad using cherry tomatoes and a selection of herbs from their own Westchester garden. For dessert, the girls dipped blackberries in (loads of) sugar, which kept them happy and occupied for quite some time.

Shane didn’t join us because he’s going through drug withdrawal. This sounds like a terrible thing, but compared to his back pain, it’s downright pleasant.