Fish with Olives and Leeks Recipe

Recently I got a delivery of Pacific Grenadier from Real Good Fish. Grenadier has the unfortunate reputation as a "junk fish" because it's by catch--caught unintentionally by fisherman going after black cod. It's a deep water fish, with a long body and a very thin tail. Pacific Grenadier has a delicate texture similar to cod, snapper and orange roughy, and a very mild flavor. The thin fillets cook very quickly and need to be handled gently. Because it's not a large commercial fishery you may have trouble finding specific recipes for it, but you can use pretty much any recipe that calls for snapper or orange roughy. 

This is yet another recipe inspired by what was in my refrigerator. It's a little fussier than I would like because you have to cook the leeks and onions in a skillet before transferring them to a baking sheet to form a bed for the fish. But I like the combination of a savory olives, sweet onions and leeks and juicy tomatoes. Lately I've been finding one pot or one pan recipes to be particularly appealing. Less clean up is definitely a factor! 

When preparing leeks I slice them lengthwise and rinse them thoroughly. I often chop them and soak them in a bowl of cold water since the soil can really get stuck between the layers. The water clinging to the leeks is just enough to cook them so there's no need to any extra liquid to the recipe. I like the combination of leeks and onions, but you could certainly skip the onions if you don't want to bother with them. You could also add a clove or two of garlic if you're using an olive paste or tapenade with no garlic. I found the saltiness of the olives was enough seasoning for the fish, but add salt to taste if you find it needs it.

Fish with Olives, Leeks and Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound grenadier fillets 

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, optional
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green) about 2

1/2 cup chopped onion

Olive pesto

1/2 cup green or black olives, pitted preferably oil cured (or a combination)

3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To make the olive pesto combine the olives with the olive oil in a food processor and blend until creamy but not completely smooth, you will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. You can use prepared olive tapenade, paste or pesto if you have it on hand. 

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the leeks and onions, and cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Transfer the leek mixture onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet top with the fish fillets. Spread with about 1/4 cup of olive pesto. Scatter the tomatoes on the sheet, if desired; bake until the fish is opaque, about 10 minutes. Transfer fish and vegetables to plates. 

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to Real Good Fish for supplying me with the fish. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post.  If you live in the Bay Area, visit their website to learn more about their subscription program.