Braised Fish, Pot-Roast-Style
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ to 2pounds monkfish tail, halibut steak or fillet, or swordfish, as thick as possible and preferably in one piece
- Salt and pepper
- 1onion, chopped
- 2thyme sprigs
- 1pinch saffron, optional
- 3medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1small fennel bulb, cut into chunks
- 1pound potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 2tablespoons tomato paste
- 1teaspoon smoked paprika (pimentón)
- ½cup red wine
- 2½cups beef or chicken stock
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnish.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
498 calories; 15 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 40 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 45 grams protein; 1490 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Put the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it is hot, sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper, and add it to the pot. Cook, undisturbed, until it is well browned, 5 or 6 minutes. (If you’re using halibut fillet, and it has skin, brown the nonskin side.) Transfer it to a plate, browned side up.
- Step 2
Add the onion, thyme, saffron, carrots, fennel and potatoes; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and smoked paprika, and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens a bit, 2 or 3 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and let it bubble away until it almost disappears.
- Step 3
Add the stock, bring to a boil and let it bubble vigorously until the liquid reduces by about a third, about 10 minutes. Adjust the heat so the mixture simmers; when the vegetables are nearly tender — about 10 minutes later — nestle the fish, browned side up, among the vegetables; keep the browned crust above the liquid. Cook, undisturbed, until the fish and vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Step 4
Transfer the fish to a cutting board, and divide the vegetables among shallow bowls. Slice the fish and put it on top of the vegetables. Taste the cooking liquid, and adjust the seasoning; ladle it over all, garnish with the parsley and serve.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Food1Eva
I made this dish for my husband's birthday. It was easy and delicious. I used shrimp stock for the liquid, along with red wine. Serve it with some good bread to go with the great stock!
Jennifer
Oh, so delicious. The key to having enough wonderful sauce is to 1) increase the amount of broth (I used homemade chicken), and 2) control the boiling stages in Step 2 & 3 to less "vigorous" than recipe reports. Keep an eye on the pot so it doesn't boil down too much. I used halibut and cut veggies into smaller dice than photo shows. Adding lemon juice at the end gives some brightness.
Gary
This was delicious. I used a very thick piece of halibut (~2-in.) which came out perfectly, and not overdone at all. Did the whole thing in a large cast-iron skillet. The only problem was that there was not very much liquid at the end (although it was delicious). Next time I might increase the amount of chicken broth to 3 or 3 1/2 cups, with correspondingly more tomato paste and other spices.
Leila Falk
Added a cut-up jalapeño for spiciness. Cut up fish after I made the sauce/stock, before adding it to the sauce/stock true cod fillets made it easy: no bones, no skin, inexpensive, too.
pot roast fish
Pre cook the potatoes and carrots first for 10 minutes
corleoja.
Absolutely delicious.
Michele
Winner! We don't keep wine in the house so I added some garlic and bay leaf to punch up the flavor a bit.
Stacy H.
Made as written except I used vegetable broth instead of meat stock. Delicious and surprisingly hearty for a seafood-based dish. The smoked paprika and saffron, combined with the tomato paste, will remain a go-to for future stews.
Udit
Alas, tried this and even incorporated many of the tips offered by others. Conclusion: A dish simply not worth the effort. Nothing noteworthy about it. And the photo? Not even close to what it ends up looking like.
Susan Valentine
Monkfish was the fish that delivered here. I have never had success in browning fish effectively and that held true here, too. I substituted 8 oz. of IPA for the wine. As soon as I added the broth, though, I covered the dutch oven for 10 or 15 minutes until veggies tenderized, then added the whites of baby bok choy for a few minutes. To thicken the sauce I used 1T of tapioca starch in a little water. Bok choy leaves went in for the last minute of cooking. Lemon juice and parsley to finish. Yes!
Jeddi
Made just as directed with cod - it was easy, fast and delicious, will make again!
Robin
I put in too much tomato paste (what does one do with a ⅔ full tiny can, anyway?). Next time, I'll use one actual tomato -- the brothy deliciousness was kind of overpowered (love the fennel in this BTW).
JT
Microwaved the diced potatoes prior to adding to pot - they finished cooking at the same time as everything else. Used 3 cups of broth. Used mahi mahi. Followed recipe otherwise. Red wine didn’t greatly impact color of fish or potatoes - nothing to be nervous about. Served with thick cut toasted bread. Delicious. Next time, consider more broth and greens (kale or escarole).
SamD
Made as directed but need much more time to simmer sauce and vegetables. Also 10-15 minutes to simmer the halibut resulted in overcooked fish. Needed lemon as well.
TD
Used a well seasoned cast iron skillet with monkfish. Cut the recipe in half and did not use fennel. Even with the smaller amounts the cooking times listed left the potatoes, carrots and fish badly undercooked. I always wonder if NY Times recipes are tested on near professional grade appliances that perform much differently that the appliances most of us use.
Doc R
Double the carrots, they were stunning. I covered the vegetables for part of the time. Outstanding, easy and quick. Also easy cleanup
ann
Lightly flour to keep from sticking
AliciaS
Flavor was great but presentation was not ... potatoes sopped up the red wine ... so nowhere near the photo. I used chicken stock instead of beef. Next time I’ll use white wine. No idea how they could get that presentation using red wine.
Court
This was a hit! The red wine really makes it. I used hake and it was good but didn't brown well.
Kurtvk
I followed the directions exactly, with the exception of cook times - shortened them a bit (to compensate my very hot gas burners) with a very thick cut of halibut( 3 inches): it tuned out beautifully. I very much like Jennifer’s suggestion of adding a bit of lemon juice at the end for brightness. Wish I had done that. Nevertheless, superb dish!
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
