Delicately seasoned fish served atop an eggplant caponata—what’s not to love?
Photo by Gwénaël Le Vot
SERVES 4
Caponata
3 tablespoons olive oil (more if needed)
2 small eggplants, cubed
1 small yellow onion, chopped
½ cup chopped fennel
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes, with juices
½ cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/3 cup halved Castelvetrano olives (or manzanilla)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
½ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Fish
4 6-ounce thick white fish fillets (sea bass, cod, halibut or swordfish)
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat oven to 425 F. Position racks in middle and upper third of oven.
In a large skillet or saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add eggplant and saute until it starts to brown, about 5–7 minutes. Add additional oil if needed; add onions and fennel and continue cooking until onions are translucent. Add garlic and red pepper flakes; stir and cook an additional minute. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes and smash with back of wooden spoon; cook for 5 minutes. Add wine, capers, olives, salt, pepper and basil. Stir well, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Season fish with salt and pepper. In a large oven-proof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fillets (best side down) and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully flip fillets over and place skillet in the oven on medium rack. Bake until fillets are opaque and flaky, 8–10 minutes. Turn oven to broil setting. Place skillet on top rack and broil until golden brown on top, 2–4 minutes (watch carefully!).
To serve, spoon caponata onto plates and top each with a fillet. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.
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Chef’s Tips
Arrowroot versus cornstarch as a sauce thickener. Arrowroot is naturally GMO-free and works very quickly to thicken sauces or soups—thus can be added near the end of the cooking process. Substitute for cornstarch in equal amounts.
What you need to know about cooking eggplant.
- Small eggplants are more tender, have fewer seeds and do not need to be peeled. Large eggplants should be peeled before cooking, as the skin is tougher.
- Eggplants soak up a lot of oil; watch carefully and add additional oil as needed.
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