This dish is inspired from my grandmother…which is ironic because she’s not much of a cook.
In fact, my mom always tells the story of how she used to come home from school and catch my grandmother throwing spaghetti on the wall to see if it was ready… Haha! She’s gotten better since then!!
I asked her how she cooks her fish and she told me “en caldo” basically “in broth” I changed a few things, and made it with my twist for dinner.
Tomato and fennel go really well together and it’s a wonderful way to use up fresh tomatoes – even better is if they are from your garden. You can certainly substitute them with canned tomatoes if you are making this when they are not in season. I served this with Jasmine rice because it soaks up all those delicious juices and the fried, sweet plantains – also know as “platanos maduros” because the sweetness really played off the sweet flavors in the broth. I used Vermouth, but any good white wine would work just fine here.
If you’re not a fish lover, I urge you to try this because it’s so good, it may just change your mind. If you make it, please take pictures and tag me on social media @thekoshertomato 🙂
Ingredients
- 1 pound snapper ( or other firm white fish) cut into portion sizes
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- Approx 1/8th teaspoon onion powder
- Approx 1/8th teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small fennel bulb, core removed and sliced
- 1/2 red pepper, sliced
- 1/2 green pepper, sliced
- 1/2 cup vermouth (or white wine)
- 4 medium sized vine ripened tomatoes, diced
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped - for garnish
Instructions
- Season fish with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder. Set aside.
- Saute shallot and garlic in a deep saute pan until soft and fragrant. Next, add fennel and peppers and allow to soften.
- Deglaze with the vermouth (or wine) and scrape any bits in the pan. Allow to cook for 5 mintues or so, and add tomatoes and water.
- Allow all the vegetables to cook down in the pan and create the broth. Carefully add fish to the pan, cover and cook until fish is opaque and springy to the touch. (About 10 minutes) Intensify flavor by spooning broth over the fish continuously.
- Add chopped parsley before serving. Serve over rice to sop up flavorful broth.