Cold Steamed Petrale Sole with Uncooked Tomato Sauce
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1½pounds ripe tomatoes
- 1 to 2garlic cloves (to taste), peeled, green shoots removed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh basil (more to taste)
- Thin strips zest from ½ orange
- 1½ to 2pounds petrale sole fillets
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 2basil sprigs
- Thin strips zest from ½ orange
For the Sauce
For the Fish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
182 calories; 10 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 608 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 by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Cut tomatoes in half along the equator. Place a strainer over a bowl and squeeze out seedpods. Rub seedpods against strainer to extract juicy pulp. Discard seeds. Place a box grater in a wide bowl, and using the large holes of the grater, grate tomatoes by rubbing the cut side against the grater, with the skin side cupped in your hand. When you feel the holes of the grater against the inside of the tomato skin, you are done. Add juice from seedpods.
- Step 2
Turn on a food processor fitted with a steel blade and drop in the garlic. When it is chopped and adhering to the sides of the bowl, stop the machine and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar. Process in machine for 1-2 minutes, until sauce is frothy. With machine running, slowly add olive oil. Alternatively, purée at high speed in a blender for 1 minute, until frothy. Transfer to a bowl, taste and adjust seasonings. Stir in tarragon. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Cover and set aside at room temperature if serving in an hour or two, or refrigerate for up to a day.
- Step 3
Steam the fish. Prepare the fillets by slapping them – not too hard – with the flat side of a knife, just to break down fibers so they don’t curl too much when you steam them. Season with salt and pepper. You will probably have to steam the fish in batches. Brush your steamer rack with olive oil and place as many fish fillets on top as will fit in one layer. If the fish fillets are too long to lie on the rack, fold them over at the middle. Combine about 1 inch of water and a couple of basil sprigs in the bottom of your steamer and bring to a boil. Place steaming rack in pot and steam fish for 5 minutes, until opaque and fish pulls apart when you insert a fork into it. Remove from heat, transfer to a lightly oiled platter and allow to cool. Sprinkle with orange zest, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer.
- Step 4
About 30 minutes before you wish to serve, whisk basil and remaining orange zest into the tomato sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove fish from refrigerator and pour on half the sauce. When ready to serve, spoon some sauce onto each place, top with the fish and more sauce, and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
There must be a reason to steam the fish separately instead of just poaching it in the tomato sauce. What am I not realizing?
This is, hands down, the best recipe I've tried so far on the NYT Cooking site. Generally I'm not a big fan of petrale sole--texture is a bit soft for my taste--but we were going camping and this looked like the perfect dish to 1) make ahead of time, and 2) serve cold on a hot summer night. I was able to get super-fresh petrale at our farmers' market and I steamed the fish and made the sauce night before leaving. At serving time, I just whisked the basil and zest into the sauce. So, so good!!
Great recipe, I varied it by adding 1 anchovy fillet to the sauce. Goes well with garlic and herbs if you want more bite
The sauce turned out DIVINE. (I added tarragon in the blender and extra olive oil). Steaming fish to the correct doneness was difficult-- I think I overcooked it a bit, even though I did in small batches and watched it carefully. It continues to cook even after removing it from steamer. My second try-- and there definitely will be a second try-- should be better.
I was skeptical about serving cold fish, however, I must say this was fantastic. I loved the fresh tomato sauce with tarragon. Perfect for a hot summer night!
There must be a reason to steam the fish separately instead of just poaching it in the tomato sauce. What am I not realizing?
Advertisement