One of my favorite ways to cook fish on a weeknight is on the stove. I save this dish for those especially busy days because it comes together in under 30 minutes. I like to use a firm fish, such as branzino or red snapper, which is less likely to fall apart than cod or other flaky fish. The method here is incredibly simple, just make sure to use a well-seasoned pan or a nonstick skillet and begin cooking the fish with its skin pressed down on the skillet. The scallion-lemon oil pairs well with anything, so you can also serve it with other dishes, such as roasted chicken. To keep the meal light but satisfying, accompany the pan-seared fish with a salad, such as Green Salad with Umeboshi Dressing, Cucumber and Fennel Sunomono, Potato Salad, or Loaded Vegetable Miso Soup in the winter.
Want to “wake up” your white fish with full flavor? Look no further than George McCalman’s recipe for fried jacks. Jacks is a local tropical fish indigenous to the Caribbean, but you can substitute with any mellow white fish. With a dish so simple and quick, we recommend seeking out a Grenadian curry, which differs from its Indian counterpart, with roots going back to the slave and spice trade. We promise this dish is bound to take your tastebuds to the Caribbean.
We truly believe there’s a white fish for every taste. If you like mild and meaty, halibut is probably your jam. A little more oceanic assertiveness? You might be more of a snapper person. Firm, flaky, and affordable? Try cod! Whatever your preference, this elegant, classic, quick way of cooking will let the fillet shine. If you don’t have herb butter at the ready, you can make do with salted butter, but we urge you to take the extra few minutes to mix up that herby goodness. It really does take this recipe from good to stupendous, and with very little extra effort. Rinsing the olives before adding them to the pan might seem a bit odd, but because olives are quite salty on their own, you don’t want to risk any of their briny oil creating an oversalted situation.
Recipe introduction by Managing Producer Sally Swift as originally included in our Weeknight Kitchen newsletter:
Ingredients