Apricot Orange Sicilian Roast Fish

I love a really good roast fish dish and a touch of Apricot Orange jam makes this one sublime.  A nice juicy hunk of white fish works best for me with a saute of vegetables to place on top and keep the juices inside the fish.  This dish is almost as good as roast chicken on a cold snowy New England day.

I look for a thick white fish.  Cod is now endangered and sea bass is usually really expensive.  I was lucky and found a nice piece of haddock at my favorite fish store – Courthouse fish.  I always  consult with Eddie the monger-in-charge who helps choose the best shiniest piece.

I made this dish a few years ago and the Washington Post published it.

Ingredients:

1 cup sliced white onion

1 cup sliced fennel

1 cup red or yellow cherry tomatoes cut in two

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 jar Apricot Orange Jam

1 lb white fish

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Saute the onions in 1/4 cup olive oil until soft.  Add the fennel and the remaining 1/4 cup of the olive oil and continue cooking until both are soft and beginning to brown and  caramelize.  

2. When the mixture is golden toss in the cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 – 4 minutes. Add the jam and stir to combine.

3. Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a cast-iron pan that just fits the fish.  Lay the fish in the pan and spread with the vegetable jam mixture.

4. Lay the sliced oranges on the top and bake at 400 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.