Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

Poaching white fish in a broth is very easy to do and very delicious. You want a firm fleshed fish with a mild flavor like cod, haddock, pollack, halibut or flounder. (Here we used halibut). The sauce is made with cherry tomatoes, garlic, shallots and red pepper flakes for some zing. We served it over whole wheat Israeli couscous. Since we had lots of basil in our herb garden, we added it, but feel free to use what herbs you like (cilantro, parsley, mint).

MAKES: 4 Servings
PREP/COOK TIME: 40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for couscous

  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings

  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes

  • 1 pound small, sweet tomatoes, halved

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)

  • 1 ¼ pounds fluke, halibut or cod, cut into 4 equal pieces

  • 1 cup sweet basil

  • 1 cup whole wheat Israeli couscous

  • 1 1/4 cup Magic Mineral Broth

 DIRECTIONS

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (use one with a lid) over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots and cook, swirling the skillet constantly until they are starting to toast and turn light golden brown, 2 minutes or so. Add red-pepper flakes and swirl to toast for a few seconds. Remove from heat and transfer all but 1 tablespoon of the chile oil to a small bowl.

  2. Add tomatoes to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until they burst and start to become saucy and jammy, 5 to 8 minutes. Add fish sauce (if using) and 1 1/2 cups water, swirling to release any of the bits stuck on the bottom of the skillet.

  3. Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened but still nice and brothy, 3 to 5 minutes. You can add a bit more water if needed. Season with salt and pepper.

  4. Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently lay the pieces in the brothy tomatoes. Cover the skillet and cook until the fish is opaque and just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes (slightly longer for a thicker piece of fish, like Halibut).

  5. Meanwhile, make the couscous. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan at medium high heat. Add the couscous and stir until it begins to taste and smell nutty. Add the Magic Mineral Broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover, cooking for about six minutes or until the broth is absorbed.

  6. To serve, add couscous to shallow bowls, transfer fish and brothy tomatoes over the top. Drizzle with reserved bowl of chile oil and the crispy shallots and garlic. Top with basil.

Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

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Tomato-Poached Fish with Chile Oil & Herbs Alison Roman

Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

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  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings
  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1 pound small, sweet tomatoes, halved
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce (optional)
  • 1 ¼ pounds fluke, halibut or cod, cut into 4 equal pieces
  • 1 cup cilantro, tender leaves and stems
  • ½ cup mint, tender leaves and stems
  • Limes, halved, for serving
  • Tortillas, toast or rice, for serving (optional)

Directions at mimbly.com

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Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

Meet the next recipe to add to your repertoire: Tomato Poached Cod. My 13 year old brother nearly jumped out of his seat tonight, he was so excited we were having this for dinner.

It’s an Alison Roman recipe, one of many recipes she’s published that have nearly broken the internet. Since first making this recipe, I’ve cooked over a dozen others out of her cookbook, Nothing Fancy. They’re simple recipes, impressive enough to be showcased at any dinner party, easy enough for a weeknight dinner and so intuitive you won’t be able to believe you’re not the one who thought of them.

Dinner: Tomato Poached Cod
Sides: Yellow Rice & Homemade Sourdough Bread
Dessert: Lavender Earl Grey Macarons

Tomato poached fish with chile oil and herbs

Adapted slightly from Alison Roman's infamous recipe- this is one of my family's favorite recipes. Even my 13 year old brother loves it- all the better because it comes together in under an hour.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

  • 1/2 cup olive oil plus more for drizzling
  • 6 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 2 small shallot thinly sliced into rings
  • 1.5 teaspoons red-pepper flakes
  • 1.5 pounds small sweet tomatoes, halved
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1.5 teaspoons fish sauce optional
  • 1 1/2 lbs cod cut into filets
  • 4 ea limes juice

  • In a large nonstick skillet add oil, garlic & shallots. Heat until garlic and shallots are golden. Add the chili flakes and heat for 30 seconds more. Remove immediately from heat, pour in bowl and set aside.

  • Using the same pan, add 3 tablespoons of chili oil (without garlic or shallots) into pan over medium heat. Add sliced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook until jammy- about 6 minutes.

  • Add fish sauce and cook for about 1 minute. Add 1 1/2 cups water and continue to cook for about 8 minutes, the flavors will concentrate but it will still be soupy. While this is cooking- pull the cod out of the fridge. Pat dry and season both sides, because you eat both sides, with salt and pepper.

  • Taste the tomato sauce for seasoning, if it needs more salt- add more. Your tomato sauce will determine how flavorful the fish will be. Add fish to pan, as it cooks it will release water, balancing the flavors. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, if the cod easily flakes when you apply pressure with your finger- it's ready.

  • To serve: Scoop sauce and fish into bowls, spoon garlic/shallot chili oil over the top, sprinkle a handful of herbs over the top and squeeze a generous amount of lime over the entire bowl. Eat with spoon.

Keyword Alison Roman, Easy dinner recipe, Fish, Tomato Poached Cod with Chili Oil and Herbs, Weenight Meal

What are the best fish to poach?

Poaching is a good technique for cooking lean fish like tilapia, cod, sole, haddock, snapper, or halibut as well as fatty fish like salmon or trout. It is a type of moist-heat cooking technique that involves cooking by submerging a food item in a liquid usually at a low temperature.

How long do you poach fish for?

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer. Add seasoned fish fillets, cover saucepan with lid, and poach for 10 minutes. Once you've had a few goes at poaching fish, you can start to build your own poaching liquids with whatever ingredients you love or happen to have on-hand.

What is poaching in cooking fish?

Poaching is a cooking technique that involves heating food submerged in a liquid, such as water, milk, stock or wine. Poaching is differentiated from the other "moist heat" cooking methods, such as simmering and boiling, in that it uses a relatively lower temperature (about 70–80 °C (158–176 °F)).