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Roasted fillet of striped bass, baby carrots, fingerling potatoes and arugula, endive and watercress salad

As seen in The Seasonal Chef. Column 46, November 21, 2013. Roasted fillet of striped bass, baby carrots, fingerling potatoes and arugula, endive and watercress salad. If you are feeling rushed and stressed, it’s more important than ever to eat healthy during busy days leading up to the holidays. The following recipes are easy, fast, and good for your well being for such a time as this.

As seen in The Seasonal Chef. Column 46, November 21, 2013

If you are feeling rushed and stressed, it’s more important than ever to eat healthy during busy days leading up to the holidays. The following recipes are easy, fast, and good for your well being for such a time as this.

Don’t like striped bass? Substitute your favorite fish fillets for the bass in this recipe.

Look for imported oregano; its floral flavor is remarkably different than domestic dried oregano. The cooking time will depend on the size of the fillets.

Garlic scented baby carrots, fingerling potatoes, and petit pois create a good looking and great tasting one dish accompaniment to the fish.

Add a refreshing salad of watercress and arugula, with Belgium endive, avocado, lemon juice, and olive oil. It’s attractive, healthy, and quick. Serve a crusty baguette and your favorite cheese to complete the menu. Bon appetit!

Roasted fillet of striped bass with tomatoes and olives, oregano, lemon and olive oil

Serves four

  • 4, 6 to 8 ounce fillets of striped bass, rinsed (or red snapper, fluke, flounder or sole fillets)
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Italian or Greek oregano or 1 teaspoon dry oregano and 1 tablespoon Chopped flat leaf parsley
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 large lemons, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges for garnish
  • 2 ripe plum tomatoes cut into thin wedges
  • 6 to 8 pitted black olives, preferably Kalamata or oil cured, sliced
  • About 1/2 cup white wine or dry vermouth
  • 4 handfuls washed baby spinach for presentation

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Coat the bottom of a shallow baking/serving dish with oil. Scatter onions in the bottom of the dish and drizzle a bit of olive oil over the onions. Arrange the fillets, skin side down on the onions. Season fillets with oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over fillets, arrange tomato wedges down the center of each fillet; scatter olives on top and season with pepper. Drizzle a bit more oil and lemon juice over tomatoes. Pour vermouth around the fish and bake until the flesh turns from translucent to opaque, about fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile, arrange spinach in the center of each dinner plate. Using a spatula, lift onions and fish fillet out of the baking dish and place on the bed of spinach. Our pan juices over the whole affair and serve at once.

Fillet of striped bass
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Roasted baby carrots and fingerling potatoes with garlic and petit pois

Serves four

  • 20 to 24 assorted baby carrots (peeled with about 1/4 inch stem attached)
  • 16 to 20 fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
  • Extra virgin olive oil as needed for drizzling
  • 3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Sea salt to taste
  • 2 cups extra fancy petit pois, defrosted, set aside
  • Small handful flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

To prepare:

In a large saucepan over high heat with cold salted water, bring the water to a boil, add potatoes and par-boil then until nearly tender, about eight minutes. Remove potatoes and drain well. Add carrots to the water and par-boil until nearly tender, about five minutes. Remove carrots and drain well. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the vegetables. Can be done ahead and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat the bottom of a shallow baking dish with olive oil. Add par-boiled potatoes and carrots drizzle olive oil over them; scatter garlic on the vegetables, season with pepper, and roll the vegetables around to completely coat them. Roast until the vegetables are tender and browned, about twenty minutes. Transfer to a serving dish.

To serve, reheat peas in the microwave just until hot, about two minutes. Add peas and parsley to the carrots and potatoes, toss well, and serve at once.

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Arugula, Endive and watercress salad

Serves four

  • 2 large bunches watercress, washed and stems removed
  • 4 cups baby arugula, washed
  • 3 small Belgium endive, trimmed and washed, cut into crosswise thin rings
  • 1 Hass firm ripe avocado, halved and sliced
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • About 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare:

In a small bowl, add lemon juice. Add Belgium endive to the lemon juice and stir to coat to prevent discoloration. Remove endive and place in a large salad bowl. Cut avocados into thin slices or chunks and roll in lemon juice.

In a salad bowl, toss arugula and watercress together until well mixed, add endive and toss again. Just before serving, drizzle a few drops of olive oil on the greens, then add avocado with the lemon juice, add more oil as necessary to lightly dress the salad. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at once.

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