cracker meal and flour.
Place two large sauté pans on the stove (one should be
ovenproof) and turn up the heat to medium-high. Remove the fish
from the milk, pat dry with paper towels, and season well with
salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the cracker meal–flour mixture.
Add oil or clarified butter to coat the bottom of the ovenproof
pan and place the fish, presentation side* down, in the pan. It
should sizzle immediately. At the same time, add about 1 cup
water to the second pan, followed by a big pinch of salt and all the
corn. Let it boil and cook for 30 seconds, then add the sugar snaps
and cook for another 30 seconds. Meanwhile, check the fish: when
it’s brown and crusty on the presentation side, use tongs or a fish
spatula to flip it over. Place the pan in the oven and cook just until
the fish is cooked through (it will go from tranclucent to opaque),
2 to 3 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chives, and butter to the pan with the corn
and snap peas. Toss until everything is emulsified and coated,
seasoning with more salt and pepper.
Ideally, the fish should finish cooking when the vegetables are
ready. Remove from the oven and put the vegetables on the plate
first and the fish on top, presentation side up. Serve immediately.
* You can buy cracker meal in the store or, to make your own,
pulverize saltines in a blender or food processor until fine.* See Kevin Davis’s technique for making clarified butter.