by Susan Hanna
This quick fish dish from the New York Times is tasty and uses your garden-fresh scallions, cucumber and herbs. Roast the fish for a few minutes and then add julienned scallions. While the fish cooks, make a quick sauce of scallion, yogurt, cucumber, herbs, lemon juice, garlic and oil. Serve the fish with the charred scallions and sauce. You can use halibut, cod or any firm white fish in this recipe.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
I use tamari instead of soy sauce, because it uses alcohol as a preservative instead of sodium benzoate. Astro Original Balkan-style yogurt and Cock brand fish sauce contain no artificial ingredients. Use only freshly squeezed lemon juice, as the concentrates are bitter and contain sodium benzoate. Check the red pepper flakes to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. For more recipes using all-natural ingredients, visit Eye For a Recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch scallions, green and white parts separated
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 (6- to 8-ounce/170- 226-g) boneless, skinless halibut fillets
- 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) fish sauce
- ⅔ cup (165 ml) plain Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup (165 ml) finely chopped cucumber
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced fresh dill or mint
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice, plus more for serving
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated or mashed to a paste
- Red-pepper flakes
- Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)
Preparation:
- Heat oven to 450 degrees F (232 C). Mince enough of the scallion greens to equal 2 tablespoons (30 ml) and reserve. Halve remaining scallion whites and greens lengthwise to make ribbons. Place scallion ribbons in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) oil and a pinch of salt; set aside.
- Season fish with salt and pepper, and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle fish with a little oil, soy sauce and fish sauce. Transfer to the oven and roast, 2 minutes. Add scallion ribbons to the baking sheet, spreading them out in one layer around the fish, and roast until the fish is opaque in the center and golden at the edges, and scallions are browned in spots, 6 to 10 minutes.
- While fish roasts, make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil with 1 tablespoon (15 ml) minced scallion greens, the yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, garlic and salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, arrange fish and scallions on serving plates and squeeze lemon over the top. Dollop yogurt sauce over the fish and garnish with remaining scallion greens, red-pepper flakes, more black pepper, and sea salt, if you like. Serves 4.
From the New York Times