Flounder in Saffron-Tomato Sauce
I’m a little late with a high holiday menu, Yom Kippur ended last weekend and here I want to talk about Rosh Hashanah. I’ve been swept up with life lately. As if having a kid who is almost 2 wasn’t enough, I’ve started a certification course to teach English as a second language, my husband just had his 40th birthday and to celebrate we took a trip (senza bimba) to New York for the weekend. I’m in recovery mode right now, I really should be studying and observing classrooms, but I am writing about a hectic life instead. It all feels even more hectic after 4 days in one of the world’s most hectic cities. I have so much love for New York, it was such a part of my formative years as a young adult, but I was extremely happy to come home to my little girl and to the quiet life that we lead here in Charleston. I am definitely getting old.
This is a Sephardic dish meant for Rosh Hashanah, but it could really be served at anytime. Festive and delicious.
Flounder in Saffron-Tomato Sauce
adapted from 1,000 Jewish Recipes by Fay Levy
- 1/8 tsp saffron threads
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- ½ cup diced, red pepper (optional, we skipped this ingredient)
- 1½ lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and pureed, or one 28-ounce can plum tomatoes, drained and pureed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper , to taste
- 1½ to 1¾ lb flounder (or sea bass from the original recipe), about 1 inch thick
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil or Italian parsley
Slightly crush saffron with your fingers and soak it in the oil in a small cup about 20 minutes. Transfer saffron oil to a large sauté pan or skillet and cook briefly over low heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté over medium-low heat about 5 minutes or until onion begins to turn golden. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until thick.
Add fish in one layer to sauce and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, spooning sauce over fish from time to time, about 10 minutes or until thickest part of fish becomes opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning. Stir 2 tbsp basil gently into sauce. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with remaining basil.
Can be served hot or cold.
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Italicious 