Busy Days and a Fish Gratin

Do you ever feel like you're getting busier and busier all the time? I sure do. Lately I've taken on some new responsibilities, and I've been so busy I don't know if I'm coming or going. Time and energy are in short supply, to say the least. But at the end of these long, hard days my body craves something delicious and nourishing more than ever. So I've been making lots of dinners that I can throw together in minutes and then pop in the oven to bake unattended. Things like baked chicken drumsticks, roast pork tenderloin, and baked fish fillets. Simple. Satisfying. Above all, easy. This speedy supper was such a hit we had it twice in the last week. I hope you like it as much as we did.


Haddock Gratin with Olives, Capers & Tomatoes
Printable Recipe

1 cup diced tomatoes
¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, quartered
1 tablespoon capers
2 cloves garlic, grated
½ teaspoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 1 to 1 ¼-inch thick haddock fillets, weighing about 6 ounces each, skinned and boned
1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Toss together the tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, oregano, and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Spread half of the tomato mixture evenly in the bottom of a 10-inch oval baking dish. Season the fillets generously with salt and pepper and arrange them in the baking dish in a single layer. Spoon the remaining tomato mixture evenly over the fillets. Toss together the breadcrumbs and remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a small bowl, making sure that the breadcrumbs are evenly coated. Stir in the Parmegiano and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the fillets in the baking dish. Gently tap the dish on the counter a few times so that the topping settles. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until the fillets are just cooked through. The fillets will begin to flake when they are just cooked through. Serve immediately.

Serves 2. Serve with a side of pasta. If haddock is unavailable, you can substitute any other firm-fleshed white fish.

Fish Tacos Deconstructed

Having salsa in the fridge inspires many beautiful meals. And so, my Mexican food kick continues…


Masa Crusted Rockfish with Cabbage Slaw & Avocado Salsa
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons masa harina
¼ teaspoon pure chile powder
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
4 4-ounce skinned and boned rockfish fillets
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil, for frying
6 ounces thinly sliced green cabbage
4 ounces thinly sliced red cabbage
2 ounces thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup minced cilantro
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup Avocado Salsa

Mix together the masa harina, chile powder, and granulated garlic in a large, shallow dish. Season the fillets generously with salt and pepper. Dip into the masa harina mixture to coat and shake off any excess. Add enough canola oil to a large, heavy nonstick frying pan to come to a depth of 1/8 inch. Heat over medium heat until a pinch of the masa harina mixture sizzles immediately when added. Add the fillets skinned side up and fry without disturbing for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Using a fish spatula, turn the fillets and fry another 1 to 2 minutes, or until cooked through and golden brown. Meanwhile, toss together the green cabbage, red cabbage, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and olive oil in a large bowl and season to taste with salt. Remove the fillets to a paper towel-lined plate and drain for about a minute. Arrange the fillets on individual plates, divide the slaw among them, drizzle with the salsa, and serve immediately.

Serves 4. Offer warm corn tortillas on the side. If rockfish is unavailable, you can substitute any other firm-fleshed white fish.

Fish Sticks and a Mixed Blessing

I have a second oven-fried recipe for you, but don’t go thinking that I’m on some kind of healthy cooking kick here. That’s not it at all…A couple of years ago (whoa, has it already been that long?) I had this brilliant cookbook idea. I was going to call it “Golden Brown”, and it was going to be all about deep-frying, pan-frying, and oven-frying. Like a sort of follow up to my first cookbook Seared to Perfection. At least I thought it was a great idea—I mean, who can resist fried food? So I spent hours and hours putting together a book proposal, complete with a dozen tested recipes, and then my agent handed it over to the publisher…

And the publisher liked it. At first. Then, after what seemed like an eternity, I got the news, “Marketing doesn’t think they can sell it.” It always boils down to marketing. (The little matter of the economic meltdown didn’t do me any favors either.) Was I devastated? Hell, no! Well, maybe just a little bit. But, to be completely honest, I was relieved—I mean, do I really need to be testing and tasting an entire cookbook’s worth of fried food? I can just see it now: the French fries would’ve gone to my waist, the onion rings to my thighs, and the donuts directly to my heart. I would’ve battered, breaded, and rolled myself straight into my grave. In an XXL coffin, no less. The rejection hurt, but it was a blessing in disguise.

So that’s the reason for two oven-fried recipes in a row. They just needed a new home. By the way, when I was working as a private chef, my employer deemed these “the best fish sticks ever”. Which still cracks me up.


Oven-Fried Halibut with Tartar Sauce
Printable Recipe

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup grated yellow onion
1 dill pickle, minced
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Several drops Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg
¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon paprika
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 ¾ pounds 1-inch thick center-cut halibut fillet, skinned, boned, and cut into 1-inch wide pieces
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Blend together the mayonnaise, onion, pickle, parsley, lemon juice, and Tabasco in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate.

Whisk together the egg, granulated garlic, paprika, and 2 tablespoons of water in a large, shallow dish. Mix together the panko and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in another large, shallow dish. Season the halibut pieces generously with salt and pepper. Dip each one into the flour to coat and shake off any excess, then into the egg wash, and then into the panko mixture to coat, patting so that it adheres. As you work, arrange the halibut pieces in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking tray. Using a pastry brush, brush them all over with the melted butter. Let rest in the refrigerator for about half an hour.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450˚F. Bake the halibut for 16 to 18 minutes, or until just cooked through. The fillets will begin to flake when they are just cooked through. Arrange the halibut pieces on individual plates, divide the sauce among them, and serve immediately.

Serves 4. These “fish sticks” are a hit with adults and kids alike. For a complete fish 'n' chips dinner, serve them with Oven Fries and Classic Coleslaw.