Eat More Fish - the Ultimate Fast Food!

Food Snob is feeling a bit clairvoyant today as she continues her series on fish – the ultimate fast food.   On Tuesday this past week, the New York Times reported the results of a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, which included THREE SERVINGS OF FISH PER WEEK, for reducing the risk of heart disease. As Mark Bittman wrote in the New York Times food section the next day: “It’s as straightforward as it is un-American: low in red meat, low in sugar and hyperprocessed carbs, low in junk. High in just about everything else — healthful fat (especially olive oil), vegetables, fruits, legumes and what the people who designed the diet determined to be beneficial, or at least less-harmful, animal products; in this case fish, eggs and low-fat dairy.”   He goes on to say . . . “This is real food, delicious food, mostly easy-to-make food. You can eat this way without guilt and be happy and healthy. Unless you’re committed to a diet big on junk and red meat, or you don’t like to cook, there is little downside.”

Food Snob agrees:  there is little downside to eating a diet composed of “real food” that you have cooked yourself.  And since cooking during weeknights is a challenge for anyone who works or has had a busy day (and aren’t most days busy days?), Food Snob introduces this week’s take on fast fish – Orange Roughy with White Wine, Tomatoes, and Spinach prepared quickly and deliciously from fresh ingredients.   

Food Snob first had a version of this dish at Maggiano’s Little Italy – it was the special at lunch one day.  Maggiano’s prepared the dish with tilapia, lightly breaded and served over a bed of spinach with tomato, white wine, and butter sauce on top.  Now, tilapia is not one of Food Snob’s favorite types of fish because tilapia is thin, cooks too quickly, and turns mushy before you have time to count to 3.  Still, the preparation was delicious and Food Snob convinced the chef to tell her how he made it.  Food Snob went home, made a few modifications (there is no butter in this recipe, for example!), and has served it many times to both guests and family members to rave reviews. 

Food Snob has tried a number of types of firm white fish to prepare this dish, including cod, halibut, and orange roughy.  Orange roughy is her favorite.  Orange roughy is a mild fish that works well with the more intense tomato, wine, and spinach flavors.  If you are new to cooking fish, orange roughy is a good choice, and it is almost impossible to ruin this dish.  Orange roughy is very forgiving, and even if you overcook your fish a little, the results will still be delicious.  Also, although the ingredient list looks a little lengthy, the dish is not difficult and comes together easily and quickly.  Gluten free note:  you can prepare the fish without the breading – the fish will lack the crunchy coating but the flavors are still delicious.

Food Snob usually serves this dish with oven-grilled potato spears, a delicious side that can be cooked in about ten minutes.  You can use either sweet potatoes or regular potatoes (such as Yukon gold) for the potato spears – if you use sweet potatoes you will need to reduce the cooking time.

Orange Roughy with White Wine, Tomatoes, and Spinach (serves 4)

Ingredient List

Sauce:

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons onion, chopped

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

½ cup white wine

1 can low-salt chicken broth

1 cup diced tomatoes (canned, organic, no-salt or fresh)

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Juice from one-half lemon

Fish:

1 Tablespoon flour

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons dried breadcrumbs

2 Tablespoons panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 Tablespoon parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon water

1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 four- to six-ounce pieces orange roughy or other firm fish

1 12-ounce bag of organic baby spinach, arugula, or one bunch rainbow chard, washed, with center stems removed and sliced thinly and leaves chopped coarsely

Preparation:

Sauce: Lightly coat a medium saucepan with cooking spray and place over medium high heat.  Add chopped onion and sauté about 2 minutes.  Add minced garlic and sauté 30 seconds.  Add chicken broth and white wine and bring to boil – reduce the sauce to about half its volume.  While broth and white wine are reducing, prepare the breading for the fish, below.  After white wine mixture has reduced, add tomatoes and bay leaf; allow the mixture to continue cooking.  Remove about 2 to 3 tablespoon of the sauce to a small bowl, allow the mixture to cool slightly.  Whisk in 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and mix thoroughly until smooth.  Add the cornstarch mixture to the wine and tomato sauce; allow the sauce to come to a boil and thicken.  Stir in the lemon juice and taste for seasoning; add salt and pepper if needed; keep sauce warm over low heat.

Breading:  To prepare breading, place flour, cornstarch, breadcrumbs, panko, parmesan, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt in a pie pan or flat dish.  In another pie pan or flat dish, mix together the egg white and water with a fork.

Fish:   Coat a large, heavy-bottom skillet with cooking spray and place over medium high heat.  Add a little olive oil (one tablespoon or less).  Wash and dry the fish pieces thoroughly and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Dip each fish piece first into the egg white mixture (coat both sides) and then into the breading mixture (coat both sides).  Don’t worry if breading doesn’t cover every single part of the fish.  The goal is to “lightly coat” the fish with the breading mixture.  Place the fish in the skillet – keep fish pieces from touching each other.  Brown the fish for about 3 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness.  When fish is golden, flip over, adding more olive oil if necessary.  The trick is to use only as much oil as is needed to brown the breading, and no more.  Cook another 3 to 4 minutes and remove the fish to a pan or casserole and keep warm.  A toaster oven set at 200 degrees works perfectly for keeping the fish warm.

Spinach:  Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and pour in about half of the wine and tomato sauce.  Immediately add the spinach or arugula.  Stir quickly so the greens wilt evenly.  Remove from heat as soon as the greens have wilted.  If using rainbow chard, start by adding the chopped stems to the wine and tomato sauce first; cook for about two minutes and then add the chopped leaves.  Allow the mixture to cook about two to three minutes longer.  It will take longer to cook the rainbow chard than it will take to cook the spinach or arugula.

Assembly:  Divide the spinach, wine, and tomato sauce mixture between four large flat pasta bowls or plates.  Top with a piece of fish.  Pour remaining sauce on top of fish, dividing evenly among plates.  Serve potato spears on the side, if desired (recipe follows).

Oven grilled potato spears:  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a large pan with a rim (such as an 11x15x1 inch pan) with foil; coat foil lightly with cooking spray.  Scrub one large, or two medium, potatoes (use any type of potato you would like, including sweet potatoes) – do not  peel.  Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, and then into wedges.  Place the potato wedges on the foil-lined baking sheet.  Drizzle with 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil; sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.  Using clean hands, mix the potatoes so they are evenly coated with the oil, salt, and pepper.  Spread them out so they are flat in the pan, one layer thick.  Bake in the oven five minutes; then remove and use a large spatula or pancake turner to flip the spears over.  Bake another 5 minutes (less for sweet potatoes).  Test for doneness and seasoning; add more salt if necessary, and bake a little longer if potatoes are not tender.  Baking time will vary depending on the thickness of the spears and the type of potato.  When potatoes are tender, remove from oven and serve. 

Next week:  Food Snob will take a break from her fish series and feature a recipe for "Quick Chicken Curry."  You can have this fantastic dish on the table in 30 minutes or less!