Baja Fish Steaks
Posted by: Tuddles Mon, 23 May 2005, at 4:15 p.m.

Hot pickled peppers--the kind we like to spark up sandwiches--give backbone to this assertive tomato-garlic sauce. Match it with meaty tuna or swordfish or use it to give life to milder-flavoured sea bass, halibut or catfish. It's also fabulous over baked potatoes or veggie burgers.


Ingredients:
28 oz ( 796 mL) can plum tomatoes, including juice
1 small onion
2 tbsp ( 30 mL) coarsely chopped, drained, hot pickled peppers
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ( 5 mL) dried leaf oregano
1/4 tsp ( 1 mL) salt
6 serving-size pieces fish, such as tuna, swordfish, halibut, monkfish, sea bass or catfish
1 tbsp ( 15 mL) olive oil
1 green pepper
 

Directions:
1. If roasting fish, line a heavy baking pan with foil and place rack in centre of oven. Preheat oven to 450F (230C). If grilling, grease grill and preheat barbecue to high.

2. Pour tomatoes and juice into a wide frying pan or saucepan. Break tomatoes into quarters. Dice onion and add along with pickled peppers, garlic, oregano and salt. Place over high heat and stir often for 8 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, measure height of fish at its thickest point. Rub oil over each piece and place directly on foil or grill. Roast, uncovered, or grill with lid closed, for 10 minutes per inch (2.5 cm) of thickness. If fish is 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick, it will take 10 minutes; if 1-1/2 inches (3.5 cm) thick, it will take 15 minutes. Don't turn fish in oven but turn fish on barbecue halfway through grilling.

4. Meanwhile, core and seed green pepper, then chop. Once sauce has cooked for 8 minutes, stir in green pepper. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring often, until most of liquid is evaporated, about 8 more minutes. Place fish on dinner plates and spoon about 1/2 cup (125 mL) sauce around and over fish. Great with new potatoes and sour cream. Additional sauce is delicious tossed with pasta, as an accompaniment to eggs or spooned over chicken.