Braised Fish, Pot-Roast Style

This dish is a light and healthy twist on a winter classic. Fish, draped over onions, carrots, fennel and potatoes and coated in a wine tomato broth makes for a satisfying and nutritious family dinner. The American Heart Association recommends eating fish twice per week to help lower triglycerides and inflammation associated with heart disease. Fish is also an excellent source of protein, offering 45 grams per serving. This recipe also calls for fennel, a wonderfully flavorful and nutritious vegetable that is rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium. Fennel may have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal and antiviral effects! It can also help aid digestion and contribute to bone and heart health.

Makes: 4 servings
Time to cook: 45 minutes

Ingredients

·     3 tablespoons olive oil

·     1 ½ to 2 pounds monkfish tail, halibut steak or fillet, or swordfish, as thick as possible and preferably in one piece

·     Salt and pepper

·     1 onion, chopped

·     2 thyme sprigs

·     1 pinch saffron, optional

·     3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks

·     1 small fennel bulb, cut into chunks

·     1 pound potatoes, cut into1-inch chunks

·     2 tablespoons tomato paste

·     1 teaspoon smoked paprika

·     ½ cup red wine

·     2½ cups low sodium beef or chicken stock

·     Chopped fresh parsley for garnish.

Cooking Instructions

1. Put the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it is hot, sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, and add it to the pot. Cook, undisturbed, until it is well browned, 5 or 6 minutes. (If you’re using halibut fillet, and it has skin, brown then on skin side.) Transfer it to a plate, browned side up.

2. Add the onion, thyme, saffron, carrots, fennel and potatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and smoked paprika, and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens a bit, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and let it bubble away until it almost disappears.

3. Add the stock, bring to a boil and let it bubble vigorously until the liquid reduces by about a third, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers; when the vegetables are nearly tender — about 10 minutes later — nestle the fish, browned side up, among the vegetables; keep the browned crust above the liquid. Cook, undisturbed, until the fish and vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Transfer the fish to a cutting board, and divide the vegetables among shallow bowls. Slice the fish and put it on top of the vegetables. Taste the cooking liquid, and adjust the seasoning; ladle it over all, garnish with the parsley and serve.

Nutrition per serving
498 calories; 15 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat;2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 10grams sugar; 45 grams protein; 1190 milligrams sodium

Recipe from Mark Bittman, NY Times Cooking