Tomato-Bluefish Pasta
- 3/4 pound spaghetti
- 1/2 pound fresh fennel
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch wedges
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
- 2 cups lightly cooked crushed tomatoes (see recipe) or 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes in juice, drained
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 bluefish fillets, 4 ounces each
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Kosher salt
- On the stove, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- Trim fennel by removing the feathery tops.
- Chop tops finely and reserve.
- Cut fennel bulb in half through the core.
- Slice each half through the core into 4 wedges.
- In a glass or ceramic oval dish (11 by 9 by 2 inches), stir fennel, olive oil, onion and garlic until vegetables are coated with oil.
- Push vegetables to the sides of the dish, leaving the center empty.
- Cook, uncovered, at 100 percent for 4 minutes.
- Add the spaghetti to the boiling water.
- Pour tomatoes into the center of the dish of vegetables.
- Sprinkle reserved fennel tops and capers over tomatoes.
- Sprinkle a small amount of black pepper on top.
- Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap.
- Cook at 100 percent for 5 minutes.
- Carefully uncover the dish.
- Arrange fish fillets spoke-fashion over tomatoes and vegetables.
- Cover tightly with microwave plastic wrap.
- Cook at 100 percent for 5 minutes.
- When pasta is cooked, remove 1/2 cup of the cooking water and pour it into a large bowl.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
- Gently set the fish fillets on top of the pasta, arranging them around the sides of the bowl.
- Place vegetables in the center.
- Taste the tomato sauce and season with lemon juice and salt, if desired.
- Pour sauce over all.
- Work a small wooden spoon down into the spaghetti in several places so some of the tomato sauce trickles down.
- Serve immediately.
spaghetti, fresh fennel, olive oil, yellow onion, garlic, tomatoes, capers, freshly ground black pepper, bluefish fillets, lemon juice, kosher salt
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3334 (may not work)