Welcome to my Oscars’ Countdown! The past few years, I’ve done a tasting menu the night of the Oscars where I make as many installations as there are Best Picture Nominees. It all started as an idea in 2019, the morning of the Oscars, when I was nursing a hangover at a diner. I hastily scrambled during the day to buy all of the ingredients and make 8 different things that night, without ever watching one of the movies. Since 2020, I’ve made it my task to watch each nominee before coming up with a respective culinary offering. This year, though, I’m trying something a little different. Instead of posting everything the night of the big show, I’m going to lead up with daily posts, as well as two final posts on Sunday.
While yesterday’s post was a bit heavy, today brings respite with Avatar: The Way of Water. Yes, a little light-hearted movie where the military is setting out to kill a family. So, maybe not that high-spirited…but it’s CGI, so is it even real? My girls connected with it and cried a couple of times in the heart-tugging scenes and it has a strong family togetherness thread. The movie was good, but pretty much “Avatar 1…Now with Water!”
I almost posted this meal to the blog earlier this year, but wasn’t happy with my original photo and am glad I waited because I would have no other idea of what to post. Even the name of the dish lines up perfectly with the premise of the movie. How do land creatures suddenly become master swimmers? Their tails are nothing like the webbed fins of their blue maritime counterparts. So, Fish in Crazy Water it is! This is a great, easy meal, and the sauce is simple, just takes a little time for the flavors to meld together. My girls loved the meal, too, and felt an extra connection from the movie to my blog; a great bonding moment from theater to dinner table.
Fish in Crazy Water
This dish is best with red snapper. But use any firm fish you like, including rockfish, halibut, or cod.
¼ cup olive oil + more for the bread
3 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
1.5 lbs tomatoes, coarsely chopped, juices reserved
2 tbsp minced fresh parsley
¼ tsp minced red chili
4 cups water
Sourdough bread
Maldon or other coarse sea salt
1.5 tbsp capers, drained
1.5 lbs red snapper
Heat the oil and garlic in a large pot over low heat.
Meanwhile, chop the tomatoes and add into the pot, along with the parsley and chili.
Increase the heat to medium, adding in the water and a heavy pinch of salt. Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, preheat your grill to medium-high and slice your sourdough about a ½-inch thick. Brush the bread with olive oil and season with some coarse sea salt. Place the bread on the grill and toast for about 2 minutes per side. Remove from the grill and reserve.
After the sauce has simmered for 40 minutes, remove the lid, stir in the capers and reduce the sauce for about 10 mins.
Meanwhile, season the fish with Maldon and freshly cracked black pepper. Place the fish skin-side down into the pot and cook, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Flip the fish and cook covered, for an additional 2-3 minutes.
To serve, place a grilled slice of sourdough into a shallow bowl, place the fish on top, ladling sauce over everything.
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