It occurs
to me that recently I've been giving you quite a few recipes that use a lot of
butter. Did I mention I love
butter? Blame two grandfathers who were
dairy farmers—it must be in the genes. But I still feel guilty, so here is a
dish that is actually healthy, at least in comparison.
My husband
and I usually eat fresh fish at least once a week.
Half the time it's salmon (all right, farm-raised); otherwise we choose whatever is caught in the U.S. and never frozen. That varies from week to week. This recipe will work with any firm-fleshed
white fish. It's very loosely based on a
Venetian recipe from James McNair's Fish
Cookbook (which has beautiful pictures by the author).
Mediterranean Fish
Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees F.
Fresh white
fish filets (we usually estimate a half-pound per person)
1 tsp
ground cumin
1 tsp
ground coriander
2 tsp dried
oregano
Salt and
pepper to taste
Combine the
spices and rub them well into the fish filets.
Let the fish sit while you prepare the other ingredients.
1 yellow
onion, chopped
2 cloves
garlic, chopped or pressed
1 Tblsp
granulated sugar
½ cup red
wine vinegar (you may use lemon juice if you prefer)
1 ½ cups
red wine
2 cups
chopped, peeled tomatoes (canned are fine)
In a
saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the
onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until they are golden (do not
burn!), about ten minutes. Add the
sugar, stir, and cook for another minute.
Stir in the
vinegar, wine and tomatoes. You can add
some more cumin, coriander and oregano if you like. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat,
then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sauce is almost thick enough
to hold its shape—this may take up to 45 minutes (keep an eye on it so it
doesn't stick). Taste and season with
salt and pepper.
Dip the
fish filets in flour (shake off the excess).
In a saute pan, sauté the fish filets until they are lightly browned,
turning once. Do not overcook!
Place the
fish filets in a greased pan and distribute the sauce over them. Cook in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes,
just to let the ingredients blend.
When you
are serving, arrange the filets on a plate, spoon some sauce over them, and, if
you like, sprinkle with crumbled feta or goat cheese. The creaminess of the cheese offsets the
tartness of the vinegar-based sauce.
We are always looking for new ways for cooking fish, Sheila. This looks lovely.
ReplyDeleteI think that sauce would be very nice on other things too.
Thanks!
Love the combo of flavors, including the feta cheese crumble at the end. Leftovers would make a tasty wrap sandwich, too (a kind of Med. fish taco).
ReplyDeleteI think those would be delicious, even without the sauce. Or maybe I should use sauces more . . . You're lucky that you can get fish that hasn't been frozen.
ReplyDelete~Krsta
Sheila, I love this combination of flavors. Yummy. I think I could live in Tuscany.
ReplyDeleteDaryl / Avery