L ifestyle /C ulture
Teach a Sister-in-Law to (Cook) Fish …
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMN
MY SISTER-IN-LAW Esther,
she of the halibut with aspar-
agus and green olives recipe
previously featured in this
column, talks fish with me.

When we visited last month, I
shared with her my “insulating”
technique, in which you sauté
some veggies or aromatics, then
coat the fish with the mixture
and bake it at 275 degrees F for
about 25 minutes. She has taken
this approach to new levels
and has generously shared her
creations with me. In turn, I’ll
share them with you.

Ever-vigilant about her
health, Esther makes an effort
to integrate a variety of healthy
ingredients into these recipes,
which is reflected in the
vegetable mixtures she uses to
coat the fish.

She also rounds out the
meals with healthy whole
grains. These sides may include
quinoa, barley and brown rice.

To add some interest and depth
to these otherwise fairly plain-
Jane grains, simmer them in
vegetable broth, and garnish
them with a handful of chopped
fresh herbs. Mint, parsley, basil
or dill all add a wonderful burst
of summer-y freshness to these
grains, and the effort from the
cook to accomplish this is next
to nothing.

Bonus points if you’ve
grown the herbs in your own
garden or in a pot on your
windowsill. ESTHER’S INSULATED COD
Serves 4
The jarred sun-dried tomato
pesto called for here adds a
wonderful depth of flavor, but
you can substitute as indicated
below if you don’t have any on
hand. And if you don’t have any
of the substitutes suggested, just
use another small plum tomato
in the vegetable saute step.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 4 cod filets, about 1½
pounds ½ lemon
1 tablespoon oil
1 zucchini, sliced
½ cup sliced mushrooms
1 plum tomato, diced
1 cup canned chickpeas,
drained 2 tablespoons sun-dried
tomato pesto, chopped
sun-dried tomatoes with
oil or tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Spritz the fish with lemon
juice and sprinkle it with salt
and pepper; set it aside.

Heat your oven to 275
degrees F.

In a large, ovenproof skillet,
heat the oil over medium, add
some salt and pepper, and
sauté the zucchini, mushrooms
and tomatoes until softened,
about 5 minutes. Add the pesto
or tomato paste and chick-
peas; stir to distribute evenly.

Remove them from the heat.

Scrape the
vegetable mixture to the perimeter of the
pan, and place the cod filets in
the center. Spoon the vegetable
mixture over the fish to coat
it and bake it in the oven for
25 minutes, or until the fish
is opaque throughout. Serve
immediately. ESTHER’S INSULATED
SALMON Serves 4
As with all of these recipes,
any fish can be used; ditto the
veggies. Esther used “zoodles”
(zucchini noodles), but you can
use a grater or simply chop
up the squash. Yellow summer
squash also would be nice in
this dish. The yellow peppers
add a nice visual complement
to the green zucchini, but green
or red can be substituted here.

4 salmon filets, about
1½ pounds
Insulated cod
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup zucchini ribbons
1 yellow pepper, sliced into
ribbons Salt and pepper to taste
Heat your oven to 275
degrees F.

Spritz the salmon with
lemon juice and sprinkle it with
salt and pepper. Set it aside.

Heat the oil over medium in
an ovenproof skillet and sauté
the onion until fragrant, about 2
minutes. Add the zucchini and
peppers and continue cooking
until all the vegetables are
softened, about 6 minutes more.

Add the salt and pepper to taste.

Remove it from the heat.

Spread the
vegetable mixture to the perimeter of
JEWISH EXPONENT
Salmon and peppers
the pan and place the fish, skin
side down, in the center of
the pan. Spoon the vegetable
mixture over the fish and bake
Photos by Keri White
it in the oven for about 25
minutes until done, when the
fish is opaque throughout.

Serve immediately. l
JULY 1, 2021
15