Sakana no sotee, tomato to papurika no soosu-zoe / fish saute with tomato and red pepper sauce

Tomato, onion and red pepper combine to make a fruity sauce with slightly sweet and faintly sour notes. This sauce goes wonderfully well with white fish or chicken. Here is an example with sauteed lingcod. Freshly baked bread is a great companion for this dish.

<Ingredients>

2 fillets fish (260 g lingcod)
Salt & pepper (not in photo)
2 tsp olive oil (to saute fish) + 1-2 tsp olive oil (to drizzle as a final touch; not in photo)
Several parsley leaves (for garnish)

For tomato and red pepper sauce
1 medium ripe tomato
1 small onion (1/2 to be cooked with tomato; 1/2 to be cooked with red pepper)
1 clove garlic
1/3-1/2 red pepper (or orange/yellow pepper, or in combination)
Salt & pepper (not in photo)
2 tsp olive oil (not in photo)


<Directions>
1.

Peel tomato skin by blanching for 30 seconds and immediately soaking in ice water, and dice.

Finely chop garlic and a half of onion.
Slice the remaining half of onion lengthwise.

Slice red pepper in a size matching onion slices.

2.

In a small pot or frying pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil, and saute garlic on low heat until fragrant.

Add finely chopped onion, raise heat somewhat, and saute until translucent and very lightly colored.

Add tomato, salt and pepper, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3.

Meanwhile, salt and pepper fish, and let sit (in fridge) for 10-20 minutes.

4.

In another pan, heat 1 tsp olive oil, and saute sliced onion on medium low to medium heat until translucent and very lightly colored.

Add red pepper, and continue sauteing until red pepper is tender, 5-7 minutes.  

Add sauteed tomato + onion mixture, lower heat, and simmer.

5.

Cook fish. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, and saute fish, starting with the side that will be on top when served.

 When the lower half turns opaque, flip, cover, and cook until done, 5-7 minutes.

6.

In the meantime, finely chop parsley.

7.

Put sauce on a plate, and place fish on top.

Top with parsley, and drizzle olive oil.

<Notes>

• If a ripe tomato is not available, use canned tomato (approx. 100cc). Choose canned tomato that is not salty or sour, if possible (roma tomatoes are a safer choice).
• Do not saute onion until golden, as it would make the sauce taste too sweet. Sauteing until translucent and taking on the hue of olive oil is sufficient.
• The sauce can be prepared in advance.
• Fish can be sauted without flour or with flour (meuniere). When using skinned fish or fish such as sole whose flesh tends to crumble during cooking, meuniere is a better choice. Meuniere also works better if a crispy outer surface is desired.