Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
Serves 4
4 4-ounce fish fillets (trout, sole, tilapia, halibut)
Seafood seasoning
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 garlic clove, minced
½ cup white wine or vegetable stock
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Lemon wedges, garnish
Season fish fillets with seasoning. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons butter. Saute fillets on both sides for 2 minutes, until brown. Remove fillets from skillet to a serving platter. Set aside, and keep warm.
Reduce heat to medium. To the same skillet, add remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and saute garlic about 30 seconds. Add wine to skillet, and cook 1–2 minutes. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook until tomatoes start to burst and release their juices, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil. Spoon sauce over fish fillets, and serve. Garnish with lemon wedges.
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Recipe tip
Why use kosher salt?
Salt is not a spice or seasoning—it does not impart its own flavor to food. Rather, salt is a flavor enhancer, bringing out the natural flavor tendencies of a food.
Recipes often specify the use of kosher salt, as opposed to more familiar table salt. Chefs recommend it because it is easy to handle and works well for a variety of uses. It’s an affordable, healthy alternative to table salt and can be used in all phases of the cooking process—for pre-seasoning foods, for use during cooking or for adding a finishing element to a dish.
Table salt has a finer texture than kosher salt. Because kosher salt has a coarser texture, you don’t need to use as much of it when measuring into a recipe.
Table salt contains additives, which some cooks choose to avoid. Kosher salt and sea salt do not.
Sea salt, due to the way it is processed, is more expensive than table and kosher salt. It is typically used as a “finishing” salt—sprinkled on food dishes lightly just prior to serving, to enhance natural flavors.
If all you have on hand is table salt, feel free to substitute it in any recipe calling for kosher salt, being careful to adjust the amounts specified to account for different salt textures. Often, when salt is listed in a recipe, you may notice that no amount is specified—just “to taste.” It is more common to see specific salt amounts in baking recipes.