Panfish with Foraged Green Goddess Dressing
working in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley provide her with many opportunities to expand her
culinary horizons and continue to learn and grow through hunting, fishing, foraging, and farming.
- Colombian-Style Ajiaco (Chicken Soup with Galinsoga) - July 13, 2026
- Savory Hen of the Woods Mushroom Sliders - August 6, 2025
- Food Sovereignty Pt. 2: Creating Community Around the Harvest - July 16, 2025
It’s springtime in Virginia. The trees have burst into pastel-colored bloom, the waters are stirring, and we’re welcoming the rains that wake the sleeping soil. With a freezer fortunately full of venison and a firm but difficult decision to skip turkey season this year, it’s been delightful to turn my gaze back down to the earth.
This year, I yearn to get back into fly fishing and perfect my very intermediate piscine preparation skills. I find fish to be difficult to cook well, and they’re an excellent test of culinary resolve. Besides, fishing is as relaxing as hunting is intense — a time to rest, recover, and reflect. It’s the perfect way to spend a storm-scented vernal evening.
I’ve also decided to expand my foraging horizons. There’s an abundance of non-native herbs around that I’ve long known about, but haven’t tried yet. Of particular interest are native spring ephemerals. These are beautiful, fascinating plants that flower very briefly and under very specific circumstances in early spring. They’re welcome sights as they rise above the dull leaf litter as our hearts warm with the temperatures.
Several spring ephemerals make fine edibles, but should always be responsibly harvested, as they can be quite rare and slow to develop. I just discovered cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata), also known as pepper root or crow’s toes. From the versatile and user-friendly brassica family, it has a slightly spicy, almost broccoli-like flavor.
The other plants in this recipe are not native, but abundant and tasty. I used a few handfuls of lush chickweed and grassy cleavers, and delicate sweet cicely to stand in for tarragon. The green goddess dressing is based on the original century-old recipe from the Palace Hotel. It’s a wonderful outlet for foraged herbs, with a history as complex as that of the weeds I made it with.
I used black crappie for this recipe, which has become my favorite freshwater fare, building on what I learned from my morel butter-poached crappie. Upon trying this dish, my partner exclaimed “That is excellent. That tastes like our yard.” What a compliment for a locavore! Every ingredient I used was Virginia-sourced, save for the seasonings. Get out there and taste the terroir.
Serving Size: 1-2 servings
Time to make: 30 minutes
Special Equipment: Food processor or electric chopper
Also works with: Bluegill, crappie, bass, or other panfish
Looking for more panfish recipes? Give this Panfish Catch and Cook video by Dan Renna a watch!
Listen to our Podcast
Apple Podcasts, Google, Spotify, Amazon Music
Try our Delicious Wild Fish and Game Spice Blends!
Panfish with Foraged Green Goddess Dressing
1-2
servings15
minutes15
minutesServe this elegant fish dish with a fresh spring greens salad.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the Fish
1 whole panfish, scaled and dressed, head removed
3 sticks unsalted butter, or enough to cover your fish
½ cup chopped young field garlic, bulbs and leaves (can also use scallions)
2 tablespoons ramp vinegar or white wine vinegar
Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- For the Dressing
2 packed cups mixed wild herbs (like chickweed, cleavers, sweet cicely, cutleaf toothwart, etc), thoroughly washed
⅓ cup mayonnaise
1 tbs ramp vinegar
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons minced field garlic leaves (can also use scallions or chives)
2 tsp anchovy paste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation
- For the Fish
- Melt two tablespoons of butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Monitor the heat throughout the cooking process to ensure the butter doesn’t brown.
- Add the field garlic and sauté until softened, about three minutes.
- Add the vinegar and the rest of the butter.
- Once the butter has all melted, place the fish in the pan. It should be partially submerged; add more butter if needed until it’s ⅔ covered.
- Spoon butter over the fish and inside the body cavity. Cook for about ten minutes or until flesh is fork-tender.
- Remove fish from heat.
- For the Dressing
- Combine all ingredients in your food processor/electric chopper, and blend until smooth. You should have a pale green sauce with a just-pourable texture. Add more herbs or liquid if necessary; adjust seasonings to taste.
- Putting it Together
- Plate the fish and serve it with the dressing, additional wild garnishes, and a pinot grigio.
- NOTES
- For the best eating experience, carefully lift the skeleton out of the fish with a fork and remove any additional bones with tweezers. I don’t filet panfish — cooking them whole minimizes meat loss and maximizes flavor and presentation.
- The leftover butter can be reused for another fish, or frozen in ice cube trays for later use.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @harvestingnature on Instagram and hashtag it with #harvestingnature
Like this recipe?
Follow @harvestingnature on Pinterest
Join our Facebook Group!
Join Harvesting Nature’s Facebook group Harvesting Nature – The Group
