FROM THE FOUNDING TABLE TO YOUR KITCHEN
POTUSPLATETHE PRESIDENTIAL TABLEHISTORY IS SERVED.
Presidents/George H. W. Bush

AT THE TABLE WITH GEORGE H. W. BUSH

Lemon-butter baked fish

Take thin fillets out first if the pieces vary in size.

Dinner25 minServes 4
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Lemon-butter baked fish — the modern table
The modern table · Serving illustration

THE STORY ON YOUR PLATE

A coastal family supper, without the broccoli

More about George H. W. Bush →

The forty-first president served in the Navy, diplomacy and the vice presidency before the White House.

Historical reconstruction

The Bush family’s Maine setting supplies the basis for this coastal supper. Lemon-butter fish is a regional reconstruction, chosen for a light main course rather than taken from a recovered private menu.

The president & the table

George H. W. Bush’s best-documented vegetable opinion is his rejection of broccoli, which he explained publicly himself. For a more inviting dinner, this menu turns to the Maine side of a family life that also had deep Texas roots.

Behind this story

Bush’s public broccoli remarks; Maine and Texas family setting. The specific fish-and-corn menu is a regional reconstruction.

APRON ON. HISTORY CAN WAIT.

Make it at home.

Our home adaptation · Serves 4 · Not yet kitchen-tested

What you’ll need

Let’s make it

  1. Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Place fish in a lightly buttered baking dish.

  2. Mix butter, lemon zest, half the juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Spoon over fish.

  3. Bake for 12–18 minutes, depending on thickness, until opaque and 63°C / 145°F in the centre.

  4. Finish with parsley and remaining lemon juice to taste.

About this home version

A modern home recipe with practical ingredients and measured quantities.

Metric and US measures are approximate equivalents. For baking, use weights when you can.

STAY FOR ANOTHER COURSE

More from this table.