cozy fish dish
I’ve been waiting to debut this cozy dish since April. Why, you ask? Well, to me it’s more of a cool weather meal and despite our lack of a proper summer, who wants to run an indoor oven in July or August? Summer means grilling!
I first had this lovely, home-cooked, Provençal-style fish in France during our girls’ trip. If you recall, Kathi B and I got stuck in Paris 4 extra days due to the volcanic ash airport shutdown. We were able to stay the first two nights at a second Haven in Paris property (thanks, Erica!) then were gallantly rescued for the final two nights by our dear family friend, Stazcek.
A Pole by birth but a Frenchman in spirit, Stazcek took wonderful care of Kathi and me. The first meal he served was this lovely oven-roasted fish with potatoes, tomatoes and onions. He used a gorgeous whole fish (a dorade, I believe), then sliced potatoes, onions and tomatoes to cook around it. He drizzled olive oil over everything and added some dried fennel seed and a bit of fresh thyme. That was it!
Your roasting time will vary depending upon the size of the fish (in the photo below, I’ved used an ‘ok’ subsititute, Huachinga Snapper – about 1.25 lbs). I pre-cooked the potatoes in a bit of boiling water since our fish was smaller than Stazcek’s then roasted everything at 375 degrees for about 45-50 minutes.
In Paris, we drank a very chilled rosé from Provence (as we were approaching summer) but Paul chose instead a Reserve des Remparts from Saint-Emilion (95% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon) since we are approaching winter. It paired very nicely!
P.S. Do any of you have any fall or winter-ish fish dishes to share? We are trying to serve fish at least once a week and I’m running out of recipes!
P.P.S. This is a BEFORE photo… it smelled so good coming out of the oven we couldn’t wait to eat it (thus no AFTER photo!)
I sometimes do this dish for Lex: in a steamer basket lined with parchment, lay down a mild, firm-fleshed fish. Stuff the insides with ginger, garlic, some leeks (sliced) and then sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Pour a tablespoon of soy sauce, mirin (or wine or sake, if you prefer) over the fish. Steam until done. While steaming, slice some leeks and green onions and toss with toasted sesame seeds. Heat about 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil with 1 tsp. toasted sesame oil until it smokes.Sprinkles your leeks and green onions over the fish and then pour the oil over the fish (it should sizzle and wilt the greens.)
Luci, that sounds AMAZING… thank you!