fish en brodo


I might have found a new favorite way to cook fish. It is so shockingly easy. I found it when I was flipping through Better Homes & Gardens magazine while eating an almond croissant and watching the tide come in. So, it was clearly a rough day.

The picture on the page completed lured me in. There were fresh tomatoes and a seemingly uncomplicated recipe for a flavorful fish. Plus, when I see broth.... I immediately see an option for delicious bread to be dunked. This dish will be your new friend. In hindsight the thing about this recipe is that it is essentially like making mussels - but with fish. Making mussels is one of the easiest things and you can do many things to the broth. When I was looking for a link to the original recipe, I found that some people have even tossed mussels into this dish - which makes perfect sense.

Other notes? It's a pretty clear guarantee that this will be one of the last meals cooked from my garden. While it was really satisfying to be eating from the garden in mid to late November, I know that I'm on extremely borrowed time. The tomatoes weren't exactly the prettiest and the thyme is starting to dry out. I loved how quick this meal came together. It's insanely fast without being one of those meal that requires your attention. I spent much of the day outside and bumbling around. A trip to Weir River Farm, browsing at Anthropologie, and a killer yoga class. The farm was amazing.

But - here are a few things about this dish:
  • Tomatoes // Slice your tomatoes extra thick. I cut mine into 1/2 inch slices and they didn't stay together very well. 
  • Fish // The original recipe called for striped bass which my grocery store didn't have. I knew that I needed a white fish and wasn't really willing to pay $10 more for haddock over cod. Cod works fine. It's really the broth that is the home run here.
  • Serving Size // I'm continually cutting my fish servings in half. Recipes routinely call for like 8 oz fillets per person but I'm always happy with about 5 oz. You do what you want.

Here's how it goes.

  1. In a large skillet, combine wine, 1/4 cup water, and oil. Then add in tomatoes, shallots, thyme, garlic, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for about 3-5 minutes or until the tomatoes soften.
  2. Place fish fillets in skillet and spoon some of the broth over the them. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer covered for about 8 minutes. You'll know the fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.
  3. Using a flexible spatula lift the fish and plate in a shallow bowl. Then add tomatoes and broth to the dish. You can discard the thyme at this point and add fresh sprigs for effect.
  4. Serve with toasted bread for dipping in that great broth.

Shopping List (serves 4)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
2 shallots, sliced 1/4 in
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 lb of white fish (sea bass or halibut preferred, cod works)

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