Prep time 20 min. Cook time 15 min.
This recipe relies on the natural flavors o fish, fresh lemons tomatoes and onions with sliced Calamata olives to give it a robust kick.
The dish is one of the very first my Greek mother taught me and is a rustic, light and healthy one. It relies on the natural flavors of the fish, fresh lemons tomatoes and onions with sliced Calamata olives to give it a robust kick. It is a satisfying meal cooked in one pan and works with thick filets of any white fish that is suitable for baking. I have made it with halibut, blue eye cod, grouper and hake.
You can feed two or twelve with ease and you are only limited by the size of your baking tray.
Greek Baked Fish
by
Derek Farwagi
Ingredients
- 2 thick filets of fish ( like cod, halibut, red snapper, rock fish, grouper)
- 2 fresh tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 lemon thinly sliced
- 2 medium sized Gold potatoes
- ¼ cup pipped Calamata olives, sliced in half
- 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp dried oregano (divided)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Set oven to 400 F and start boiling 2 cups of water to blanche the potatoes
- Peel, thinly slice potatoes and blanche them for 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.2. Add a little water and oil to a small baking tray and swirl around to coat the base so that the onions do not stick to the pan.
- Slice onion as thin as you can and place them in the tray.
- Add layer of blanched potatoes.
- Sprinkle with half the oregano.
- Salt and pepper both sides of fish filet, cut to serving size and lay over potatoes.
- Sprinkle fish with other half of the oregano.
- Slice tomato as thin as you can, layer over the fish and add salt.
- Add a layer of sliced lemons
- Sprinkle pitted and halved olives all over.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes off.
- To serve, use a spatula to lift filets with tomato, lemon and olive toppings off the tray and on to a plate. Sprinkle coarsely chopped parsley then serve onions and potatoes on the side.
Thoughts and rants
I have seen recipes (many from well known cooks and food web sites in the USA) that include greek feta cheese as an ingredient to baked “Greek” fish. As if the addition of feta cheese would, by some genetic miracle turn the dish into a “Greek” one. My mother, my maternal grandmother my maternal great grand mother and for all I know my maternal ancestors were all Greek. Also, I have been to many Greek homes and have never come across the idea of adding feta cheese to fish. Maybe they do it for the tourists.
Think about it. Why would one do that? Fish has a wonderful subtle flavor and texture and it would be insane to obscure that with the strong, salty taste of feta cheese. Also, my grandmother has this theory ( and our family never out it to the test for fear of the repercussions) that one never mixed fish with diary products. So steer clear of that suggestion.
The exception is a Prawn Saganaki, a delicious prawn and feta cheese dish enveloped in a rich tomato and mint sauce. See recipe.
Jacquie Wise
Divine!