so, this was one of our best self-isolation meals yet!
our fish dinner this week is based on a loose interpretation of my paternal grandmother’s favorite method of preparing a smell-free, hassle-free fish dinner.
when i was growing up, cooking fish at home in istanbul was something my grandmother never really loved to do. at the time, refrigeration options were less advanced and less available, so the fish sold at the fish monger was generally fresh off the boat. most of the fish native to the seas near istanbul taste best either grilled (hard to do in a small apartment with a tiny balcony- and remember no gas grills back then either) or deep fried. while deep frying was an option it was smelly and, honestly, generally ended up making a pretty big mess in the kitchen.
and so, my grandmother perfected the art of fish in the oven!
fresh fillets of white fish are cooked together with potatoes, onions and tomatoes making the dish a whole meal in and of itself… pair it with a fresh green salad and maybe a glass of wine and, voila! dinner is served 🙂
ingredients-
- 3 medium sized potatoes-peeled and sliced in thin rounds
- 3 green peppers-sliced in rounds
- 1 large onion-also sliced in rounds
- 2 cloves garlic-chopped
- 3 tomatoes-chopped
- ample parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 medium sized fillets of white fish
- we used a fish called “mezgit”; “whiting” in english it is from the cod family
instructions-
- preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius
- spread olive oil in the bottom of a shallow oven proof baking dish
- layer potatoes, peppers, onions, garlic and fish in the dish
- spread tomatoes on top of layers and garnish with parsley
- season as desired with salt, pepper and even a little red pepper
- bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft
- serve immediately
there is a turkih saying that “after fish one should eat something sweet”… i don’t know where it comes from or if there is a truth to it (turks also say that one should never eat fish and yogurt together which makes plenty of sense from a spoilability perspective!)
but i like the eating sweet saying so we almost always have dessert on fish days… this week we made a vegan chocolate sorbet that was delicious! you can find the recipe here.
a certain slant of light 