Dinner Tonight: Red Snapper with Tomatoes and Olives Baked in Foil
I don't cook as much fish as I probably should, a fact I'm trying to correct. Most of the hesitation concerns my belief that fish is somehow difficult to cook, a fact which is completely upended by this incredibly simple recipe, adapted from Bon Appétit. Just toss everything in a pouch, wrap it up, and place it in the oven. After 15 minutes, the fish comes out flaky and tender, with a hassle-free sauce ready to pour on top.
Of course, you've got to make sure everything that goes in the pouch is there to stay, and that all the ingredients get along nicely. Nothing can be done to the food after it goes in the oven. I took the easy way out with this Mediterranean-inspired version, which comes out hot and fragrant, thanks in part to the fresh thyme and all those olives. Make sure to use the really good extra-virgin olive oil here. It forms the base of the sauce, which you can soak up with some white rice or just eat with a spoon. Either way is delicious.
Red Snapper with Tomatoes and Olives Baked in Foil
- serves 2 -
Ingredients
3 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 shallot, diced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 six-ounce red snapper fillets
10 Kalamata olives, pitted, havled
Procedure
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Take a sheet of aluminum foil that is at least 18 inches long. In the middle pour 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the red snapper fillets skin side down. Pile on the tomatoes, shallot, thyme, and olives over the fillets. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with the other tablespoon of olive.
2. Fold the aluminum foil up around the around the fish, creating a tight pouch. Set on a baking sheet in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
3. Carefully unfold the aluminum foil. Transfer fish and all the juices to a plate. Serve with white rice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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5 Comments:
I'm always hesitant to cook anything that contains tomatoes (or any other acidic food) in foil - as the acid tends to eat away the foil.
Always better to cook these kinds of recipes in parchment/baking paper
fattyboombatty at 11:50PM on 01/26/09
I was also going to comment on the tomato/foil combo-- big NO NO.
carolinemarie at 10:35AM on 01/27/09
carolinemarie and fattyboombatty: Parchment paper might be the better option. But I believe the worries about tomatoes and aluminum foil and tomatoes occur over a longer period of time and in much greater quantity. This was only cooked for 15 minutes, and there weren't that many tomatoes. I certainly didn't taste any metallic or off flavors. This technique of cooking fish or chicken in foil with some tomatoes has been used by some reputable cooking authorities:
Cooks Illustrated
"COD BAKED IN FOIL WITH ZUCCHINI AND TOMATOES"
http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=18757
Mark Bitten and Jean Georges Vongerichten
"Chicken Breasts in Foil with Tomato, Olives, and Parmesan"
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/05/chicken-breasts-in-foil-with-tomatoes-olives-parmesan-recipe.html
I suppose the real question is where's Harold McGee when you need him?
Nick Kindelsperger at 11:08AM on 01/27/09
alton brown also bakes tomato in foil in his goulash recipe.
mr guy at 3:11PM on 01/27/09
I am sure this is delicious but we should admit that foil is not pretty, and using it so visibly is a problem. Smaller dishes, either covered with their own lids or foil, are better and easier for serving in the end.
Aladdinc at 9:31AM on 01/28/09