Fish Tower with Tomato, Avocado And Basil Beurre Blanc

Ingredients:
     Fish tower
8 4-ounce fish fillets, skinless; about 1/2 inch
       thick
1 tsp. lemon pepper
2 tbs. butter
1 tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 large, ripe avocados, peeled, seeded and
       sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 lemon, juice only
2 large tomatoes, sliced about 1/4 inch thick

     Basil Beurre Blanc Sauce
1/2 cup whit wine vinegar
4 medium shallots, minced
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 pound unsalted butter
2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper

Preparation:
To make the sauce, bring the wine, shallot and lemon juice to a boil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat. Reduce liquid to 1/4 cup. Strain out shallots. Add Basil. Remove pan from heat and whisk butter in a little at a time until incorporated and butter is melted and sauce is smooth. Season with salt and white pepper. Do not bring to a boil again. If you need to rewarm the sauce, do so over very low heat while gently whisking until warm, not hot. If it gets too hot, it will separate and look bad.

Season fish on both sides with lemon pepper. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Lightly brown fish on both sides and then add the white wine to pan. Cook for a few minutes more. When you slice the avocado, sprinkle the lemon juice over so that the slices will not brown. To serve, place a piece of fish on the plate, top with sliced avocado and then tomato. Repeat layer. Drizzle sauce over fish, avocado and tomato.

Note:
If you don’t have any fresh basil handy, use any other fresh herb you like or leave out the herb part altogether. The type of fish you use is not critical. The recipe works with just about any fresh fish. Obviously, this recipe is better when the tomatoes are homegrown, not the ones in the stores. If your tomatoes are store-bought, slice them and then sprinkle a little bit of salt, a pinch of sugar and a splash of balsamic or white wine vinegar on them and let them sit for 15 minutes before assembling the dish. You’ll be amazed at how much better they taste. Allow half an avocado per person. This recipe is for 4 servings.