My sister-in-law Esther, she of the halibut with asparagus and green olives recipe previously featured in this column, talks fish with me.
When we visited last month, I shared with her my “insulating” technique, in which you sauté some veggies or aromatics, then coat the fish with the mixture and bake it at 275 degrees F for about 25 minutes. She has taken this approach to new levels and has generously shared her creations with me. In turn, I’ll share them with you.
Ever-vigilant about her health, Esther makes an effort to integrate a variety of healthy ingredients into these recipes, which is reflected in the vegetable mixtures she uses to coat the fish.
She also rounds out the meals with healthy whole grains. These sides may include quinoa, barley and brown rice. To add some interest and depth to these otherwise fairly plain-Jane grains, simmer them in vegetable broth, and garnish them with a handful of chopped fresh herbs. Mint, parsley, basil or dill all add a wonderful burst of summer-y freshness to these grains, and the effort from the cook to accomplish this is next to nothing.
Bonus points if you’ve grown the herbs in your own garden or in a pot on your windowsill.
Esther’s Insulated Cod
Serves 4
The jarred sun-dried tomato pesto called for here adds a wonderful depth of flavor, but you can substitute as indicated below if you don’t have any on hand. And if you don’t have any of the substitutes suggested, just use another small plum tomato in the vegetable saute step.
4 cod filets, about 1½ pounds
½ lemon
1 tablespoon oil
1 zucchini, sliced
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 plum tomato, diced
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto, chopped sun-dried tomatoes with oil or tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Spritz the fish with lemon juice and sprinkle it with salt and pepper; set it aside.
Heat your oven to 275 degrees F.
In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium, add some salt and pepper, and sauté the zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the pesto or tomato paste and chickpeas; stir to distribute evenly. Remove them from the heat.
Scrape the vegetable mixture to the perimeter of the pan, and place the cod filets in the center. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the fish to coat it and bake it in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the fish is opaque throughout. Serve immediately.
Esther’s Insulated Salmon
Serves 4
As with all of these recipes, any fish can be used; ditto the veggies. Esther used “zoodles” (zucchini noodles), but you can use a grater or simply chop up the squash. Yellow summer squash also would be nice in this dish. The yellow peppers add a nice visual complement to the green zucchini, but green or red can be substituted here.
4 salmon filets, about 1½ pounds
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup zucchini ribbons
1 yellow pepper, sliced into ribbons
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat your oven to 275 degrees F.
Spritz the salmon with lemon juice and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Set it aside.
Heat the oil over medium in an ovenproof skillet and sauté the onion until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and peppers and continue cooking until all the vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes more. Add the salt and pepper to taste. Remove it from the heat.
Spread the vegetable mixture to the perimeter of the pan and place the fish, skin side down, in the center of the pan. Spoon the vegetable mixture over the fish and bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes until done, when the fish is opaque throughout. Serve immediately.
