Sole with Fennel, Olives, and Potatoes

I used to really hate olives. Then about 2 years ago, I tried a fish dish with olives and suddenly olives made sense. This particular
dish was inspired by a delicious lunch I had at Gramercy Tavern in New York. The dish was overall very simple, but the ingredients all complemented each other perfectly. I tried to recreate those simple, but bold, flavors here.

Ingredients:

2 Yukon gold potatoes, cut in. 1/4 in thick discs
1 lb. sole (can substitute other flaky white fish)
1 bulb fennel, shaved 1/8 in. thick
Zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup assorted greek olives, halved lengthwise
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375˚. Arrange potato slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly crispy on the outside.

Meanwhile, pat fish dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat a nonstick pan with olive oil. Heat pan over medium. When hot, add fish to pan, cook about 2 minutes per side. Set aside fish. Add butter, fennel, lemon juice, lemon zest, and wine to pan. When wine has reduced and sauce has thickened, has olives. Stir into the sauce and pour over the fish. Serve with the potato discs.

Ratatouille with Pan Seared Atlantic Cod

I picked up a bunch of fall vegetables (eggplant, squash, zucchini, etc.) at the farmers market this week. I wanted to make sure I used all of them, so decided to make a ratatouille. Perfectly seared Atlantic Cod complements all of the vegetables without overpowering the ratatouille.

Ingredients:

Extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow squash, chopped in 1/4 in. half moons or quarters
4 chinese eggplants (these are less bitter than regular eggplant and are common at farmer's markets), chopped in 1/4 in. half moons or quarters
2 zucchini, chopped in 1/4 in. half moons or quarters
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 heirloom tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 6 oz. portions of Atlantic Cod
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. basil, chopped
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Coat bottom of dutch oven or large pan with olive oil and heat over medium. When pan is hot, add eggplant. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and set aside. Coat pan with olive oil again if necessary. Add squash and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5-6 minutes, take out of pan, and set aside with eggplant. Coat pan with olive oil again if necessary. Add zucchini and season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Cook 5-6 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside with eggplant and squash. Coat pan with olive oil again if necessary. Add onion and cook for 10 minutes, until onion soften. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Deglaze pan with dry white wine and stir to get brown bits off bottom of pan. Cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and eggplant, squash, and zucchini to the pot. Let cook 5 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, and basil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While ratatouille is cooking, season cod with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Coat oven safe pan with olive oil and heat over medium high. When pan is hot, add fish and sear for 3 minutes. Flip and sear other side for 3 minutes. Put in oven and cook about 3 minutes. Fish should be flakey, but still moist and tender when done. Serve fish over a bed of ratatouille.