Rebecca's "Israeli" Fish

 

This is the first time that I've baked fish since I became a pescatarian five years ago. Although I enjoy consuming fish in restaurants, my preference has been to only prepare vegetables at home until I tasted this fish dish,  It is flavorful, and smells great, a very satisfying meal of baked red snapper which I served with slices of slow-baked creamy potatoes. Pictured above is just one portion, about 3 ounces of fish topped with a thick vegetable sauce of tomatoes, onions and peppers. 

The fish recipe is from Rebecca Chanin Gilbert's recipe treasury who notes that " this recipe is fairly flexible. You could use leeks or shallots instead of an onion, for example. You could add smoked paprika to this, too."

"Israeli" Fish

yield: 3 - 4  servings

olive oil

salt & pepper

1 lb of firm white fish fillets (red snapper, but cod, haddock, or halibut would be great)

1 medium-large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 of a large red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, diced

1 small jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, and chopped small (I used a 4 oz. can of Ortega diced Jalapenos, drained liquid, and rinsed)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 Tb cumin

2 Tbs tomato paste

1 small can of tomatoes ~ 14 oz

1 small vegetable bouillon cube or a teaspoon of Better than Bouillon 

Handful of chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley for garnish (optional)

NOTE: Choose a saute pan that you can also put into the oven.

Saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper in olive oil until the vegetables are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the turmeric, cumin, and tomato paste and stir for a minute until the spices are fragrant.

Add the tomatoes. If they are whole, use a fork or potato masher to break them up.

Add the bouillon and simmer the sauce for 30 mins over low heat, stirring occasionally. 

While the sauce cooks, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Taste sauce and correct seasoning as needed. Add the fish to the sauce, loosely cover the pan with foil, and cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes until the fish flakes with a fork.

Remove the pan from the oven. If desired, remove fish and simmer the sauce to thicken (optional).

Serve garnished with the chopped cilantro/parsley.

NOTE: You can make the sauce ahead of time and cook the fish in it later.