Around the Passover Table (10 page)

Fish in Tomato, Rhubarb, and Blood-Orange Sauce

Yield: 6 to 8 appetizer or main course servings

Tomato's unexpected coupling with puckery rhubarb blossoms into a delightful marriage of flavors here. Worlds apart from the flat tomato-based sweet-and-sour foods I loathed growing up, this Sephardi fish classic sparkles with a cool, clean tang. I add just a bit of honey, relying more on caramelized onions, bright blood oranges, and the sweet heat of fresh ginger for the subtle but complex sweetening needed to tease the ingredients together seamlessly.

I steam or poach the fish separately, rather than cooking it directly in the sauce as many recipes suggest, because the liquid it exudes makes the fish too watery.

Flavored with early spring rhubarb, Greek and Turkish Jews often serve this as a fish entree at their seders. But it is equally fine as a refreshing main course, at room temperature or chilled—especially when the weather grows warm, and delicious hot as well.

Because the flavors of the sauce demand time to fully develop, this is an excellent choice for make-ahead schedules. You can prepare the sauce up to three days ahead, and cook the fish just before serving (plan on extra time for cooling/chilling the fish if you are not serving it warm). Or make the fish when you prepare the sauce, and chill it, covered with sauce, until serving.

FOR THE SAUCE

3 medium blood oranges (if not available, substitute 2 large, juicy navel oranges)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups finely chopped onion

1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely minced

About 1 tablespoon orange blossom or other light floral honey

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound rhubarb, ends trimmed (discard leaves; they can be toxic), tough strings removed with a vegetable peeler, and stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (4 cups)

1 cup fresh orange juice

Generous pinch of ground cinnamon

2 cups canned, peeled plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), coarsely chopped, and
¹
⁄
₂
cup of their liquid

Juice of
¹
⁄
₂
lemon

FOR THE FISH

3 pounds fish fillets or steaks (choose salmon or white-fleshed fish such as red snapper, grouper, sea bass, halibut, cod, lemon or grey sole)

If steaming the fish: mild lettuce or cabbage leaves

¹
⁄
₃
to
¹
⁄
₂
cup finely minced fresh mint leaves, for garnish

START
the sauce: with a vegetable peeler, remove a long strip of zest from one of the oranges. Put it in a small saucepan with water to cover, and bring to a boil. Drain, rinse, and pat it dry. Mince the zest fine. Peel two of the blood oranges (or 1
¹
⁄
₂
of the navel oranges), removing all of the bitter white pith and any seeds. Slice the oranges into chunks using a serrated knife. Set the blanched orange zest and chunks aside. (You will be using the remaining orange to garnish the finished dish.)

IN
a 10-inch heavy skillet, warm the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until they are shiny and lightly softened. Add the minced orange zest, ginger, and 1 teaspoon of the honey. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are pale gold and very soft and sweet, 15 to 20 minutes.

WHILE
the onions are cooking, combine the rhubarb,
¹
⁄
₂
cup of the orange juice, the remaining 2 teaspoons of honey, the cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb is very tender, 6 to 8 minutes.

WHEN
the onions are ready, add the remaining
¹
⁄
₂
cup orange juice to the skillet and boil the mixture, stirring and scraping it so it does not burn, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the liquid evaporates and the onions are deep golden. Stir in the tomatoes and their liquid, and cook over moderately high heat until they break up, about 10 minutes. Add the rhubarb mixture to the sauce, and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Add the reserved orange chunks and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the sauce is thickened and the flavors well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper and some of the lemon juice. Taste again and, if needed, add additional honey or lemon juice until you reach your perfect sweet-and-sour balance.

LET
the sauce cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours or up to three days to blend the flavors.

TO
poach the fish: in a deep, lidded skillet or sauté pan large enough to hold the fish in a single layer (if preparing several thin fillets, you will probably need to cook them in batches), bring 3 inches of water and salt and pepper to taste to a boil. Reduce the heat to a bare simmer, lower the fish into the water, and cover the pan. Poach until the fish is just cooked through, 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the variety and thickness of the fish.

TO
steam the fish: in a heavy, large, wide pot, such as a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven, add water to a depth of 1
¹
⁄
₂
to 2 inches. Arrange a rack in the pan that stands at least 1 inch above the water. (If your rack's legs are not high enough, set it over 2 custard cups or empty tuna cans.) Bring the water to a boil. Line the rack with a layer of mild lettuce (iceberg or Boston, for example) or cabbage leaves, then place the fish on top in a single layer (if cooking thin fillets, you will probably have to steam the fish in batches). The leaf “bed” for the fish gentles the steam and prevents the cooked fish from falling through the rack as you lift it out. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and steam until the fish is just cooked through, 6 to 12 minutes, depending on the variety and thickness of the fish.

TO
test the fish for doneness, insert a thin-bladed knife in the thickest part. The fish should be opaque or show a slight bit of translucence, according to your preference.

REMOVE
the fish to paper toweling or a clean kitchen towel (unscented by detergent) to drain, then carefully transfer it to a serving platter. Peel off any skin on the fish. You can serve the fish at room temperature, chilled (but not icy cold), or warm. If not serving the fish warm, cool it to room temperature, and, if desired, cover and chill it until cold. Blot up any liquid the fish may have thrown off. Spoon a generous amount of the sauce over the fish, reserving the rest.

OR
prepare the fish ahead when you make the sauce. Follow the above directions for cooking, cooling, and saucing the fish. Cover and chill the fish for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. Serve the fish at room temperature, chilled (but not icy cold), or reheat it gently and serve it warm.

JUST
before serving, blot up any additional liquid exuded by the fish. Cut the remaining orange into very thin slices. Tuck the slices around the fish and sprinkle lavishly with the chopped mint. Pass a sauce boat with the remaining sauce (heated through, if serving the fish warm).

COOK'S NOTE
: The leftover sauce is also wonderful with poached or grilled chicken.

Snapper Fillets in Pistachio-Matzoh Crust

yield:
4 to 6 servings

Jacob never guessed that his gift for the “man,” Pharaoh's governor, was in fact destined for none other than his own son Joseph, he of technicolor-coat fame. But he was sure it—and a double measure of money—would please.

Pistachios always taste like a treat. I find them more addictive than potato chips when eaten out of hand, and I keep a supply of the pale green nuts in the freezer to glamorize savory foods and desserts. They give more than mere crunch—pistachios have an exotic, almost flowery-sweet taste, suggesting, as Waverly Root has pointed out, a spice more than a nut. Toasted pistachio nuts give a delightful buttery finish to this matzoh crumb crust and point up the richness of the sour cream topping, so that it only needs to be lightly slathered on the fish.

Simple but delicious, this comes together very quickly.

¹
⁄
₄
cup shelled unsalted pistachios

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional butter (or oil) for greasing the pan

¹
⁄
₂
cup coarsely ground matzoh crumbs (egg matzohs are excellent for this, if you use them during Passover; see
Flavored Matzoh
) or matzoh meal

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons sour cream

2 tablespoons grated onion

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest and/or—for a sassy seasoning with just a bit of heat—1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons prepared white horseradish, drained

1
³
⁄
₄
to 2 pounds red snapper fillets or other nonoily white-fleshed fish fillets

Accompaniment: lemon wedges

PREHEAT
oven to 375°F. Spread the pistachios on a foil-lined baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. Toast the matzoh crumbs or matzoh meal at the same time: melt the butter in a small baking dish in the oven; add the matzoh crumbs or meal, season with salt and pepper, and stir well. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes.

REMOVE
the pistachios from the oven and let cool slightly. Chop the nuts coarsely by hand or with a few pulses in food processor. Combine the pistachios with the toasted matzoh crumbs or meal. Raise the oven temperature to 400°F.

IN
a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, onion, lemon zest, and/or horseradish. Lightly grease a baking pan large enough to accommodate the fish in one layer. Sprinkle the fish on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the prepared pan. Spread the sour cream mixture evenly over the fish and top with the pistachio-matzoh crumbs. Bake just until the fish is opaque throughout, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve with lemon wedges.