You can use any mild white fish in this recipe, depending on what’s on sale and what your family likes. Gently poaching the fish in a vegetable-infused broth makes the fish very tender. This entire meal comes in under $10 for a family of four AND can be cooked in about 30 minutes. Don’t let the poaching part scare you if you’ve never cooked fish this way….it’s super easy and again, super moist! When we filmed this, I added pitted Kalamata olives (that I had in the fridge) for garnish and my taste-tester (and cameraman extraordinaire), Trig said I HAD to add it to the recipe because it added a delicious and really flavorful component to the entire meal.
A few types of mild white fish includes flounder, Atlantic cod, turbot, sole, monkfish, tilapia and what I used (because of price), swai.
FISH ROMANA –
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx $6.65 (without olives-add about 50 cents if using olives)
Ingredients:
- Parsley & Caper Sauce-
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons fine dry unseasoned breadcrumbs
- salt to taste
- Fish & Poaching Liquid-
- 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 carrot, scrubbed and cut in half
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 bay leaf
- 5-6 black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 fish fillets (about 1 pound)
- About 10 pitted black Kalamata olives, sliced or left whole for garnish if desired-it really does add to the dish!
Directions:
To make sauce: In a small saucepan, heat oil over low heat. Add parsley, capers, sherry, lemon juice, and breadcrumbs. Stir over low heat until the mixture has a sauce-like consistency. If it becomes too thick, thin with up to 1 tablespoon warm water. Season with salt as desired.
To cook fish: In a large saute pan or wide saucepan, combine 1 1/2 quarts water, onions, carrots, celery, bay leaf, peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove and discard the vegetables, bay leaf and peppercorns.
Reduce heat to low, add fish and simmer gently for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand until the flounder flesh is opaque, about 5 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, life the fillets from the pan, draining well. Arrange on plates and spoon the parsley-caper sauce over. Garnish with olives.
SAUTEED RED CABBAGE –
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: about 15 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx $1.15
Ingredients:
- 1 small head red cabbage, shredded
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Directions:
In a large skillet/saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add shredded cabbage and let wilt, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, lower heat, and let cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft you like your cabbage (I like to cook it so that it still has a bit of crunch to it).
PARSLEY POTATOES –
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: about 15 minutes
Serves: 4 for approx 75 cents (I got my bag of potatoes on sale)
Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 russet potatoes, washed and cut in chunks (if you like you can peel them but the skin has all the nutrients)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- salt and pepper as desired
Directions:
In a pan large enough to hold potatoes, add potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook about 15 minutes or until soft when pierced with fork. Drain, add butter and parsley. Season with salt and pepper as desired.