Tomato Butter Baked Fish

pictured using cod

(Shout out to Wishbone Kitchen for the recipe.)

My wife is not a big fish fan. It involves some past baggage with her cousins and a fishing trip when she was little - I cannot even begin to help her unpack it. She's gotten better and can now tolerate some varieties as long as they "don't taste fishy." But, yet, she eats tuna sandwiches sometimes... so... 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

4 TB unsalted butter

1 TB olive oil

1 small shallot, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 TB chopped Calabrian chilies

1 TB tomato paste

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

1 cup dry white wine

4 6-8 oz fish fillets (It's best to use a firm, white fish. We used 2 cod and 2 monkfish fillets.)

2 lemons, sliced into wedges for serving

Fresh basil leaves for serving

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

SAUCE

Heat a large ovenproof pan over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. When the butter has melted and is foamy, add the shallot, garlic, chilies, and a bit of salt. Sauté a couple of minutes until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning. Stir in 1 & 1/2 cups of the cherry tomatoes and the wine. Simmer until reduced by half, smashing the tomatoes with a spoon or potato masher. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust accordingly. You can either leave the sauce chunky or use an immersion blender (or a standing blender) to puree it.

FISH

Season the fillets with salt and pepper and nestle them into the simmering sauce. Arrange the remaining 1/2 cup of cherry tomatoes around the fish. 

monkfish in the middle, cod on the sides

Cover the pan tightly with a lid or foil and back it about 20 minutes or until the fish is firm and flaky (it should temp at 140 degrees F for well done).

Finish with a squeeze of lemon and top with basil leaves, if using. Serve with toasted bread.

pictured with monkfish