Which came first?

Last night had the eggs, so tonight the shad. Another first for Phil and me. Basically, an unremarkable fish but easy and good. Again, I adapted one recipe for the cooking sauce and another for the finishing sauce to end up with...

Basic Broiled Shad with Caper Sauce
(serves 2)

1 shad made into fillets (about 1/2 pound), cut in half lengthwise

For cooking sauce:
1/4 c melted butter
1 t lemon juice
1 t paprika
1/2 t dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste (I used no salt and a bunch of pepper)
parsley (I didn't have any, so I used carrot greens)

For finishing sauce:
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T drained capers
1/2 c dry white wine
Juice of 1 lemon (I used a Meyers lemon)
1/2 c buttermilk
1 t corn starch
1 t cold water
2 T butter

After assembling your mis en place, start the broiler (I used the high setting with the rack positioned about 5" from the heat) make the finishing sauce first.

In a 1-quart saucepan over high heat, combine garlic, capers, wine and lemon juice and cook until reduced 1/3 to 1/2. Add in most of the parsley, reserving enough for a garnish.

Mix the corn starch and water.

Add buttermilk and cook until reduced again by 1/2. Add the corn starch and water mixture and cook until thickened. Remove from heat but keep warm. Picture below shows the sauce keeping warm.Make the cooking sauce and cook the fish next.

Melt the butter and stir in the other ingredients. Line a baking sheet with foil and turn up the edges. Brush some of the sauce on. Put the fish onto the foil and distribute half the cooking sauce over. Broil 3 minutes.
Remove from oven (pic above shows it just out of the oven and before flipping) and carefully turn. Distribute the rest of the sauce over. Broil 2 minutes more. Remove and plate (because Phil and I were having only the fish, I cut each fillet piece in half before plating; see first post pic).

Pour the fish juice remaining on the foil into the finishing sauce and stir gently to combine. Pour over fish. Serve at once.

Eating notes: The fish was a bit pedestrian, and the sauce a bit strong. That said, it was a good combination and worth repeating. I liked the buttermilk (instead of the cream the one recipe called for) but you have to be sure not to panic when it all curdles up and to just keep cooking it until it all melds.