Three Easy White Fish Recipes
Get started with these three light, made-for-weeknight meals.
START: Choose your fish
These recipes work with cod, tilapia, hake, haddock, halibut, or sea bass. (Buy 1/2 pound per adult and 3/4 pound per child.) For recipes 1 and 2, use filets with their skins removed.
- If you have diced tomatoes
Fish Stew
In a large soup pot, sauté a chopped onion in 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat.
Add a minced garlic clove and some chopped fresh thyme.
Sauté until the onion is golden, about 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine. Cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in 8 ounces of chicken broth (or clam juice) and a 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Cut the fish into 2-inch chunks. Add them to the broth; cook for 3 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cook until the fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes. You can also add up to a pound of assorted shellfish (such as shrimp, mussels, or clams), in which case cook until the shrimp are opaque and any shells have opened.
- If you have potatoes
Baked Fish with Fennel, Potatoes, and Tomatoes
Preheat oven 400°F.
Toss 3 to 4 thinly sliced potatoes and a little olive oil into a 9-by-12-inch baking dish.
Thinly slice 1 bulb of fennel crosswise. Toss it with the potatoes.
Season with salt and pepper and roast, covered, for 30 to 35 minutes.
Layer the fish (skin-side down) and 1 cup of halved cherry or grape tomatoes on top.
Pour 1/4 cup of white wine, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, and a drizzle of olive oil over everything.
Season with more salt and pepper.
Return to the oven and roast, loosely covered, for 15 to 20 minutes.
- If you have citrus fruit
Poached Fish with Citrus Fruit
Peel and slice horizontally 3 oranges and 2 lemons.
Heat 1/2 cup of olive oil in a deep sauté pan over low heat until just warm.
Stir in the fruit and cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Raise heat to medium. Place the fish filets in the pan and season them with salt and pepper.
Cook them, turning gently, until just cooked through and slightly flaky, about 5 minutes on each side.
Divide the warm fruit among 4 plates. Top each with some fish.
Sprinkle each plate with a sliced scallion (optional) and serve.
