Fish-cooking fear begone.
People don’t cook fish at home—for many reasons. It’s too expensive. It’s hard to cook well—how do you avoid drying it out? Finally, it just isn’t as inherently delicious as red meat.
These concerns are valid . . . to a point. Some types of fish are expensive, but there are definitely cheaper options. Fish can dry out if you cook it incorrectly, but there are also simple ways to cook it well. And while fish might not burst with flavor like rib-eye, that just means you get to create punchy salsas and sauces that will make it pop.
You can cook delicious fish at home. You only need a little knowledge and a good recipe to start. Which brings me to the reason for this post:
Sheet-Pan Fish with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Olives.
This simple sheet-pan dinner is specifically designed to make fish-cooking easy. The recipe is flexible, allowing you to use whatever flaky white fish you have. Cod? Haddock? Pollock? Hake? Any of these will work. And if you can’t buy fish at the fish counter (or it’s way too expensive!), feel free to buy a bag of frozen fillets. They’ll thaw in half an hour and work just as well.
This recipe also uses a super simple fish-cooking method: baking. Rather than hanging over a hot pan in July, peering at the side of the fillets, trying to guess if it’s cooked through, you simply plop the fish on a sheet pan and throw it in the oven. There, gentle ambient heat will cook it evenly, and you don’t need to worry about overcooking if you turn your back—an extra minute won’t destroy your dinner.
Finally, this recipe brings the flavor by calling in a trio of fennel, tomato, and olives that roast with the fish, and a garlic-shallot oil that infuses the whole dish with deliciousness. The couscous serves as a bed to catch all the juices from the fish and the sauce and bring those vibrant flavors together on the plate.
If you are also nervous to cook fish at home, this recipe is for you. It’s easy to shop for, simple to prepare, and absolutely popping with flavor. And it makes a perfect light dinner for a hot summer evening. Try it. I think you’ll agree.
Enjoy!
Sheet-Pan Fish with Fennel, Tomatoes, and Olives
(Serves 4)
For the fish and vegetables:
1 fennel bulb, sliced vertically into ½ inch wedges
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup pitted green olives, halved
4 garlic cloves, minced, divided
1 ½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
5-6 whole thyme stalks plus 1 thyme stalk, with the leaves picked off, divided
1 shallot, diced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 6-oz flaky white fish fillets (cod is preferable, but feel free to substitute with haddock, pollock, hake)*
Freshly ground pepper
For the couscous:
1 cup couscous
1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Reserved garlic-shallot pan oil
Special equipment: baking sheet
Method
For the fish and vegetables:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss fennel, tomatoes, and olives with ½ teaspoon salt, 2 minced garlic cloves, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread evenly on a sheet pan and top with 5-6 thyme stalks. Roast for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes and olives appear softened and the fennel is just al dente.
Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Saute remaining 2 minced garlic cloves and shallot in oil for 4-5 minutes, or until the shallot is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Remove from the heat and pour half of the mixture into a bowl, reserving the other half in the pan. Whisk 1 additional tablespoon olive oil, lemon juice and thyme leaves into the garlic-shallot mixture in the bowl.
When the vegetables have roasted for 15 minutes, remove from the oven. Nestle fish fillets down on top of the par-cooked vegetables, sprinkle with remaining kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, and pour over the garlic-shallot oil mixture from the bowl. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
Serve immediately on a bed of couscous.
For the couscous:
Heat chicken stock, oil, and salt in a small sauce pot. When the stock is boiling, stir in couscous, cover, and let set off the heat for 5 minutes.
Remove the lid, fluff the couscous, and add to the reserved shallot-garlic pan oil in the pan. Toss to combine.
Originally posted May 28, 2020.