Grouper Puttanesca

If you're familiar with pasta puttanesca, you know that it has a briny, savory sauce made of tomatoes, olives, capers, onions and such. Many years ago I saw Giada De Laurentiis make a fish dish with a similar combination of cooked vegetables. I can't seem to find her recipe anywhere but I've adapted it a few times into my own since- it comes out a bit differently each time. I found some beautiful, wild-caught grouper at Whole Foods. I purchased a whole filet, approx one inch thick - weighing not quite 1.5 pounds and cut it into three pieces. (My brother in-law Nate was joining us for dinner.) I drizzled it very lightly with olive oil, seasoned it with kosher salt and pepper and placed in a glass baking dish sprayed with Pam.

Meanwhile I prepared a tomato-based vegetable concoction to serve with the fish: 1 medium yellow onion- thinly sliced 1 medium fennel bulb- top removed and thinly sliced 1 teaspoon of honey 4 cloves of garlic- minced 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/2 cup white wine zest and juice of half a lemon 1 large can of petite diced tomatoes- with the juice 1 tablespoon of capers- drained 1/4 cup of pitted calamata olives- barely chopped 1-2 tablespoons of fennel frawns (the top of the fennel, looks like dill) - chopped I started with some olive oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. I cooked the onion, fennel and honey for 8-10 minutes or until tender and beginning to caramelize. I then added a pinch of kosher salt, some black pepper, the garlic and thyme and cooked 1-2 mins more.

In the meantime, I broiled the grouper in the oven for approximately 8-10 minutes until golden brown on the top and barely firm to the touch. (Its better to slightly under cook it because it continues to cook for a minute or two in the tomato mixture before serving.) Next I deglazed the onion and fennel pan with the white wine, zest and lemon juice and cooked for 2-3 minutes until the liquid had mostly evaporated. I lowered the heat to medium-low and added the can of tomatoes (not quite the whole thing, about 3/4 of the can) and cooked for 15-20 minutes or so, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid had evaporated. At the very end, I added the capers, olives, and chopped fennel frawns-mixing gently- turning the heat down to a low/simmer. While the sauce was simmering, I quickly sauteed some french green beans in a saucepan with some minced garlic (1-2 cloves), olive oil, salt and pepper- covering with a lid for a few minutes- using the steam to cook them through.

Just before serving I tucked the fish filets into the vegetable mixture, covering them completely to let the sauce flavor the fish. I then plated the fish with a generous heap of the mixture on top. (Though it actually might make for a nicer presentation if you served this in a shallow bowl- setting the fish filet on top of a bed of the veggies. I'll try that next time.)

The sauce would be delicious served over pasta, chicken, just about anything- though it really goes perfectly with a flaky white fish. It packs a ton of flavor into VERY little fat and calories too. The green beans were very tasty with this however a simple green salad would work too.

Nate and I sipped a glass of Shoo Fly Buzz Cut white wine featured in a recent post and it was very nice with the meal. John had a light French Pinot Noir that worked well too. I think you could go either way, playing off either the white fish or the tangy tomato sauce.