Jess Can Cook!: I LOVE TOMATOES!

I really do! I love tomatoes.

I bring you, my loyal readers, another dish that I made with tomatoes. Interestingly enough, this is my first entrée post. I think prior to this, I've been posting appetizers or small plates. Today, I present a Grilled Tomato Salsa on a filet of white fish.

I found this recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine. I, as usual, altered the recipe a bit for my personal taste as I recommend you do the same.

The Tomato salsa consists of tomatoes, (I used a variety of tomatoes that I found in the Union Square Greens market), garlic, fresh basil, olive oil, salt, lemon zest, capers, pepper, and finely chopped boquerones. For those of you, like myself, who don't know what boquerones are, they are marinated white anchovies.

Thank you google for explaining what they were!

If you don't have white anchovies then oil-packed anchovies will work as well. And yes, you must use the anchovies, they really add to the flavor of the salsa. Trust me. I am not a true fan of anchovies, but after I ate the salsa, I too was a believer. Anchovies are a must.

Start your salsa by grilling your tomatoes. As stated in my previous posts, I do not own a grill nor do I have the outdoor space to have a grill. I live in Manhattan people! I am happy enough to have a true 1 bedroom. So, I wrapped my tomatoes in foil and sat them directly on my gas stove. If anyone out there has a better solution to grilling indoor, I am all ears. I may buy a George Forman grill. Thoughts? Should I?

While your tomatoes are grilling, start preparing the other ingredients. Grate your garlic, zest your lemon, tear your basil leaves, finely chop your boquerones (anchovies) and capers. I also fried off a few capers for additional texture and layered it on top of my finished dish.

When your tomatoes are grilled, they will release a beautiful, smoky scent. Place them into a bowl and add your additional ingredients. If you break up the tomatoes it will release some fragrant juices and flavor into the mixture. Toss the salsa together and set aside.

Preparing your white fish is quite simple. All I did was season the fish with a pinch salt and pepper. I placed a bit of butter on the top of the filet and let it bake in the oven. Once, I pulled the fish out of the oven, I plated the filet and spooned a healthy amount of the salsa over the top. I added a bit of olive oil over everything to finish the dish.

What can I say? A perfect summer dish. The salsa was fresh and the tomatoes' smokey flavors with the freshness of the lemon and basil really brought the fish alive. I was happy I added the fried capers because it layered another texture into the mix and from what I am learning, it's always great to add texture into each and every bite.

Try this dish before the summers over. You will not regret it.

Let me know how it goes.

Feel free to contact me with ideas or images of your food: jessecancook@gmail.com