I know some people might think it’s a little early to start pondering New Year’s resolutions, but not me. My goal is to have hearty-healthy fish at least once and possibly twice a week.
And with the good selection at my neighborhood supermarket, it won’t be that hard.
Just the other day, I picked up a couple of wild Canadian salmon fillets. I baked them in my Dutch oven with a little white wine (about ½ cup), some extra virgin olive oil (3 tablespoons), lemon juice (3 tablespoons), a diced onion, two cloves of minced garlic, some dill and salt and pepper to taste. I then topped the fillets with a tablespoon or 2 of brown sugar and baked it for about 1½ hours at 350 degrees.
I served the salmon with a baked potato and some steamed carrots. Not only was this a tasty meal, it also was very nutritious.
I came across the following recipe, which has a Christmas touch, the other day and hope to add it to my baked fish repertoire. It’s from the National Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org), which has a wonderful selection of recipes at its Web site. Not only does it look delicious, its nutritional analysis fits right in with my way of thinking.
Roasted Fish with Christmas Salsa
3 vine-type tomatoes, halved and seeded
½ cup finely chopped red onion
½ cup chopped scallions, green part only
½ cup finely chopped sweet onion
2 tablespoons very finely chopped shallot
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
Juice of 1 Valencia orange
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and ground black pepper
4 6-ounce pieces tilapia, halibut or cod filet
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In mixing bowl, combine tomato, red onion, scallions, sweet onion, shallot and jalapeno. Add the orange and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside for 20 minutes for flavors to develop. This makes 3 cups salsa.
Season fish lightly with salt and pepper. Set medium skillet that can go into oven over medium-high heat on top of stove. When hot, add oil and immediately place filets into hot pan. Cook until fish is lightly browned on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Using wide spatula, turn fish. Slide pan into oven.
Cook until filet flakes easily and is white in the center at widest point, about 2 minutes for tilapia, 3 to 4 for halibut and cod, depending on the thickness of the filets. Place a piece of fish on each of 4 dinner plates. Spoon one-fourth of salsa alongside fish and serve.
Yield: Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 230 calories, 8 grams fat (1 grams saturated), 11 grams carbohydrates, 27 grams protein, 2 grams dietary fiber, 85 milligrams sodium.