Generally I sauté fish but in this instance I decided to broil it. I don't know why other then I think people are more comfortable putting fish in the oven and because I sauté everything, I thought it might be nice to branch out and try some different techniques.
Ingredients
- 4 six-ounce mackerel or fish filets
- 1 fennel bulb
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3/4 cup fresh tomato pulp, see headnote
- 1/3 cup nicoise olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons currants
- pinch of fennel seeds
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 2 large yellow onions, julienned
Directions
- Season the fish with salt about an hour in advance of when you want to prepare them. This is a Japanese technique for preparing fish and if anyone knows how to prepare fish it is the Japanese.
- Place a large saute pan over medium heat and add enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. A little more then a thin layer. Add the onions and fennel. Season them with a heavy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
- Take you time and cook the onions and fennel until soft. If they take on a little color that is fine but don't brown them too heavily. In the end you want this to be gooey.
- Add the white wine and let it reduce to a couple of tablespoons. Add the tomato pulp and cook the sofrito until the liquid is almost all absorbed. Remove from the heat.
- Set your oven rack so it is about 4 to 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler. Place the filets on an oiled sheet tray and season them with white pepper.
- Place the fish in the oven. Set a timer for 4 minutes and broil the fish.
- Place the sofrito over medium heat. Stir in the olives, currants and pine nuts. Keep the sofrito warm. At the end of four minutes check the fish for doneness. I did this recipe twice and the 1/2 inch thick filets took 4 minutes both times, but everyone's oven is different. Cook them 2 minutes longer if you need to.
- Plate them and serve immediately.