New Food - Sardines

Yes, it's true - this was my first sardine experience, at least as far as I'm aware.  The last time I was buying tinned fish, sardines were 2 for something, so I took a deep breath and bought 2 packets.  For years I was a tuna person, and then about a year ago I just couldn't take it any more, so switched to salmon.  I thought maybe now I could change it up again.  Today was the day.

I have a recipe for a pasta sauce using sardines, so did something vaguely similar.  A small chopped carrot, cooked with half a tin of chopped tomatoes and some chopped basil stalks, then the basil leaves, some salad greens, and the chopped sardines.  Top with Parmesan.  When I was nearly finished, I realised chilli would have been a great addition.  Next time.

Although I was a bit worried about eating this, once it was all in the sauce it was fine.  I think my aversion prior to this (apart from a Flanders & Swann song from my childhood) was the fact that sardines actually look like fish.  Everything else I eat that used to eat something else no longer looks like a living thing by the time I get to it.  That, and I had a suspicion (unfounded, as it turned out) that sardines would be super-fishy.  I don't think I'm up to having a sardine salad, but as part of something cooked and squished, this was a winner. 

Mexican Baked Fish

This coming Thursday (May 3), Viola Man and I are performing in the cathedral.  We are playing some duets for violin and viola, and he's also playing some duets with a double bass player.  We had a play-through last week, and thought another rehearsal would probably be a good idea.  I also owed him dinner, so last night he came to my place, I cooked him dinner and we practiced our duets.

A few weeks ago I was flipping through some recipe books for inspiration and came across this dish - as yet uncooked by me.  As Viola Man is originally from Mexico, this dish seemed an obvious choice for dinner last night.  I halved the quantities so I wouldn't be eating this for a week, but the quantities below are the original, which serves 4, from Jill Dupleix's Good Cooking: the New Essentials.

Recipe:
Heat the oven to 200C.  Rub 4 thick, firm white fish fillets (180g each, skinned), with 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, and set aside.

Finely slice an onion into rings.  Cut a sweet red pepper into strips, discarding the core and seeds.  heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan and cook the onion for about 10 minutes until soft and pale.  Add 1 garlic clove, finely sliced and cook for a minute.

Add a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes, the red pepper, and 150mL water, stirring.  Add 10 pitted green olives, 1 tablespoon salted capers (rinsed), 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno chillies, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and 1 bay leaf.  Cook gently for 10 - 15 minutes until the sweet red pepper is tender.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan and sear the fish fillets for a minute on each side, then transfer to an oiled baking pan.  Spoon the sauce on top and bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the fish is cooked through, depending on thickness.  Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with rice.

I forgot the coriander leaves for garnish and don't usually eat rice... and I forgot to turn off the oven (youch! expecting a massive power bill now).  But the flavour was good (although not as much kick as I expected), it's really easy, and we didn't need to resort to calling the local pizza place.  Phew.

For those Brisbane readers: free concert, Thursday May 3, 11:30 am, St John's Cathedral.  Duets by Halvorsen, Beethoven, Piazzola and more.