So Many Dishes

I haven’t tried many new recipes lately. Our menu has focused on favorites and been filled out with in with improvised dishes. I decided to make a new fish recipe Friday evening, and it was a winner—and then some!

I have controlled myself this year and haven’t bought any cookbooks. As a result, my newest one is Milk Street Cook What You Have, a Christmas gift from Ken. We have enjoyed every recipe we’ve tried, although there are still lots of recipes to try.

Reading through it, everything about this dish was appealing except for maybe the amount of capers. I like capers. Ken loves capers. But one-quarter to one-third cup of capers, plus some of the brine? I worried that the capers would dominate, but I decided to go with the flow.

No worries! The flavors blended beautifully in what turned out to be a simple but elegant dish. The tomatoes, capers, and onions roast with an olive oil-seasoning mixture before the fish, which has been brushed with some of the same mixture, is placed on top, and the baking dish returned to the oven. We picked up some beautiful thin cod fillets from Whole Foods that took only about 10 minutes to cook. Because I was cooking for just the two of us, I used half the amount of fish that the recipe calls for. However, I didn’t halve the sauce ingredients, and I’m glad I didn’t. I’d have been happy just eating the tomatoes and onions—that’s how good they tasted.

I steamed asparagus as a side, and some fresh semolina bread that we bought when we got the fish. Along with a glass of a lovely unoaked Italian Chardonnay, it was definitely a special Friday night dinner.

Fish Baked with Tomatoes, Capers, and White Wine

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons caper brine, plus 1/4 to 1/3 cup capers
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Four 6-ounce cod or sea bass (or other white fish) fillets, skinned
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, garlic, caper brine, and thyme. Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper, then place in a pie plate or other wide, shallow dish. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture onto the fish, dividing it equally Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a 9 x 13 baking dish, toss together the remaining oil mixture, the capers, tomatoes, onion, wine, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, until the onion has softened and the tomatoes broken down and released their juices, 30 to 35 minutes; stir once about halfway through.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and stir the vegetables. Place the fillets on top, spacing evenly, and bake until the fish flakes easily, about 10 minutes. You may need to adjust cooking time with thicker fillets. Serve with tomato mixture spooned on top. Serves 4.

Happy eating!