5 ingredient fish!

Okay.  Tonight, I made a new recipe after work.  Yes, work! (in case you missed the news….) J  Anyway, my new employment brings me home at around 6pm.  We normally eat around 6:30 so that gives me 30 minutes to prep and cook, if I want to put dinner on the table on time.  That’s pretty difficult stuff unless you’re making hot dogs and mac ‘n cheese or soup and sandwiches (and by “making soup”, I mean opening a can and heating in the microwave).  Well, a few days ago, I got the current Rachel Ray magazine in my mail and, interestingly enough, there were quite a few 5 ingredient recipes in there that promised to be 30 minute meals – 15 minutes for prep and 15 minutes for cooking.  “Yeah, right” was my first thought but what drew me in and convinced me was the whole five ingredient business.  That’s seriously inexpensive for 4 servings – well, probably more the way the whole serving size business has worked out for us!

So, the first recipe I selected to try was Italian Flag Halibut.   Really, 5 ingredients!  Fish, tomatoes, garlic, broccolini, and cannellini beans – do you get the “Italian flag” part now? J Of course, my world isn’t perfect and halibut was nowhere to be found in this area of Florida so I substituted cod, which is actually more budget-friendly.  As for the broccolini, this was my first time using it and I had to shop at more than one store to get it.  That’s definitely a downer but I think that’s a side effect of small-town grocery stores in the south.   

As far as prep goes, it definitely took me more than 15 minutes.  I’ll be honest – I was pretty sad about that.  We didn’t sit down to eat until about 6:50 and that’s bad on a Wednesday since we watch So You Think You Can Dance and it comes on at 7:00 here.  Thank goodness for DVR and the pause button!!!  Anyway, I would allow at least 30 minutes for prep unless you have assistance.  If you’ve never worked with broccolini before, that’s where the bulk of your time will be spent.  You have to remove all the leaves and then chop the stalks and the florets.  Thing 2 assisted (thank goodness!) but I did half the bunch first and realized how much longer finishing was going to take without assistance.  AND, the recipe called for TWO bunches!!!  *side note – I only used one bunch and that was plenty for this recipe.  The 2^nd longest prep moment comes with chopping the tomatoes – there’s 4!  Besides those two ingredients, the other 3 were easy-breezy.  I mean, really, you buy some fish, open a can of beans and peel some garlic.  That’s a cake-walk compared to the broccolini!

The result?  It was pretty darned good!  Of course, Thing 2 was not appreciative of the tomatoes but Thing 3 went back for seconds and thirds!  Man, do I love that Thing 3 and her appreciation for good food!  She’s welcome in my house ANYTIME!!!  (Thing 1 was not home to log an opinion.) My only recommendation for the recipe would be to definitely be generous with the seasoning on the fish.  Now, I went easy because I didn’t want to oversalt and ruin the dish but I definitely could have added more.  It was good but it could have been so much better.  The entire flavor combination, however, was fabulous!  A bit with fish, tomato, bean and broccolini was such a burst of deliciousness!  I think this would also be really yummy with chicken breast or even steak.  And, in the end, even though it took longer than 30 minutes, it was worth the time and I’m sure it’ll be easier the next time around – and yes, there will be a next time. J

So, for YOUR enjoyment and celebration of the Italian flag, here’s the recipe.  Happy cooking, eating, and drinking!

Italian Flag Halibut

2 bunches broccolini

4 skinless halibut fillets (about 6 oz. each) (or cod, if you can’t find halibut)

Salt and pepper

5 tbsp. EVOO, plus more for drizzling (if you’re not versed in RR speak, that’s extra virgin olive oil)

3 large cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

4 medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes

1 can (15 oz.) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1.  Discard the leaves from the broccolini and cut the stalks (up to the florets) into ½-inch pieces.  Rinse in a colander and set aside.

2.  Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Pat the fish dry and season with salt and pepper.  Add 2 tbsp EVOO to the skillet and swirl to coat.  Add the fish and cook until nicely golden on the bottom, about 3 minutes.  Flip the fish and cook until firm to the touch, about 3 minutes longer.  Transfer to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

3.  Pour off and discard the cooking oil.  Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the garlic and 1 tbsp. EVOO and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes.  Add the wet broccolini, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes, beans and 1 cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccolini is tender and the tomatoes are saucy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in 2 tbsp EVOO and season with salt and pepper.

4.  Spoon the tomato-broccolini mixture onto 4 plates or shallow bowl.  Top each portion with a piece of fish and drizzle with a little more EVOO.