This brightly flavored fish stew, enhanced with salty olives and fragrant marjoram, has a pleasing contrast of flavors and colors. Here served on polenta, it’s equally delicious served with steamed rice or grilled crusty bread. If your fishmonger doesn’t have halibut, mahi mahi would also be a good choice.
Halibut with Tomatoes, Olives and Marjoram
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 large shallot, minced
2/3 cup (5 fl. oz./160 ml) dry white wine
1 can (14.28 oz./448 g) Italian tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 lb. (375 g) halibut, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) pieces
1/4 cup (1 oz./30 g) pitted Kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
1 to 2 Tbs. chopped fresh marjoram, or 1 tsp. dried marjoram, crumbled
Cooked polenta for serving
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and shallot and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and boil until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and a pinch of pepper flakes. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Add the fish to the frying pan, turn to coat it with the sauce, cover and simmer until almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Turn the fish pieces over, add the olives and marjoram and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Spoon the polenta onto warmed plates, and then spoon the fish and sauce over the top. Serve immediately. Serves 2
Find more simple, seasonal weeknight recipes in our cookbook Weeknight Fresh + Fast, by Kristine Kidd.
