Flounder Poached In Fennel Tomato Sauce Food

FLOUNDER POACHED IN FENNEL-TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Coarsely grind fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a spice mill or with a mortar and pestle. Alternatively, place in a resealable freezer bag. Crush with a rolling pin or large skillet. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced fennel, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until soft, 10-12 minutes. Add spices and cook, stirring often, until spices are beginning to darken, about 1 minute.
• Add marinara sauce and 1/2 cup water to skillet; bring to a simmer and cook to meld flavors, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Season fish with salt and pepper and fold fillets in thirds or in half to form packets. Place fillets in sauce. Cover skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until fish is opaque and beginning to flake, 12-15 minutes.
• Divide fennel-tomato sauce and fish among shallow bowls. Sprinkle tarragon and fennel fronds over.

OIL POACHED FLOUNDER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a medium saucepan over low heat, bring the olive oil to 300 to 310 degrees F.
• While the oil is heating, season the flounder fillets on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Lay half of the sliced lemons and half of the parsley in the bottom of a cast iron skillet large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer without overlapping. Lay the seasoned fillets on top of the lemons. Top with the remaining lemons and parsley. Once the oil has reached temperature, gently pour it over the fillets, and place in the oven and poach for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

FISH POACHED IN A TOMATO WINE SAUCE (CAN BE MADE SALT-FREE)

Steps:

• Whisk together tomato paste, water, wine and lemon juice and pour into a skillet large enough to accomodate the fish filets lying flat.
• Heat briefly and add the basil.
• Place the fish on the bottom of the skillet so that they are partially covered by the liquid and sprinkle evenly with the pepper.
• When the liquid starts to simmer, turn down the heat, cover and cook until the fish is cooked through (usually 10 minutes for fish filets, but only a few minutes for shrimp or scallops).
• Remove the fish to a warm platter, turn up the heat and allow the liquuid to cook down for a minute or so.
• Serve fish with just enough sauce to barely cover the top and garnish with parley and top off with some sea salt.
• Place extra sauce on the table for the fish and/or to serve over rice.

ROASTED TOMATO AND FENNEL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss together fennel, tomatoes, wine, oil, thyme, and pinch of sugar. Season with salt and pepper. Bake, tossing occasionally, until fennel softens and pan juices thicken, 35 to 40 minutes.

FLOUNDER MEDITERRANEAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Plunge tomatoes into the boiling water and immediately remove to a medium bowl of ice water; drain. Remove and discard skins from tomatoes. Chop tomatoes and set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; saute onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic and Italian seasoning; cook until tomatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in olives, wine, capers, lemon juice, and 1/2 the basil. Reduce heat, blend in Parmesan cheese, and cook until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce, about 15 minutes.
• Place flounder in a shallow baking dish. Pour sauce over the fillets and top with remaining basil leaves.
• Bake 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.

FLOUNDER FILLETS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to low, or 150 degrees. Mix the flour, salt and pepper and dip the fillets in the mixture to coat both sides. Shake off the excess. Heat a large skillet very hot, add the clarified butter and when it is very hot fry the fillets quickly, turning them once, until they are golden brown on both sides (about 2 minutes or less, all told). Remove the fillets to dinner plates and keep warm in the oven.
• Pour off any remaining clarified butter or oil from the skillet, add 2 tablespoons unsalted regular butter and (still over high heat) add the shallots and saute 30 seconds. Add the wine and fish stock and boil hard until it is almost gone. Add the thyme and chopped tomatoes and boil briefly until slightly reduced. Season with salt and pepper, remove the skillet from the heat and whisk in the additional regular butter bit by bit, incorporating each piece almost completely before adding the next. Warm the sauce again if necessary, but do not let it boil.
• Spoon a small amount of the sauce over the fish fillets in the oven, return the skillet to the heat, add the chopped pasta and toss with the rest of the sauce until heated through. Spoon the pasta onto the dinner plates and serve with a tossed salad.

BAKED FLOUNDER WITH TOMATO CAPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• Make sauce:
• Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion and fennel, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and wine and simmer briskly until liquid is reduced by one third, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers, salt, and pepper, then transfer to a 2-quart gratin dish or other wide shallow baking dish.
• Prepare flounder:
• Stir together bread crumbs, butter, salt, and pepper with a fork until combined. Season flounder with salt and pepper, then roll each fillet, skinned side up, into a cylinder and arrange, seam side down, on top of sauce. Gently press bread crumbs onto flounder.
• Drizzle wine carefully around fish into sauce (not over fish) and bake in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

ROASTED FENNEL TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F Combine the fennel, onion, garlic, oil, chili flakes, fennel seeds, salt, and pepper in a roasting dish and roast, tossing once or twice during cooking, for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve some pasta cooking water.
• After 15 minutes of roasting, stir the crushed tomatoes into the vegetables, combining well. Roast 5 to 10 minutes more, until the fennel is tender and starting to brown.
• Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and toss with the roasted vegetables and Parmesan, adding some pasta cooking water if necessary until the sauce is loosened and coats the pasta. Serve immediately.