Crispy Skin Rockfish Ratatouille
Lately, we’ve really taken to enjoying our “experimental” dinner nights where we invite a few friends over and try a recipe that none of us have previously made. We all share in the various parts of preparation, shopping, chopping, cooking, and of course, eating! This recipe turned out to be an absolutely perfect way to spend time with our friends and family as there are a lot of opportunities to delegate. The recipe itself is simple and turns out unbelievably delicious and healthy!
Ingredients
Vegetables
Note: Try and get veggies that are roughly the same width (circumference). You can use a mandolin on a thicker slice setting to make chopping the veggies very efficient. You can also use just about any mixture of squash or zucchini varieties. Homegrown veggies taste significantly better than store bought. In this recipe, we used:
1 Large Eggplant
1 Delicata Squash, seeded
2 Green Zucchini
5 Roma Tomatoes
Sauce Base
1 White onion, rough chopped
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Peppers, diced
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Italian Herbs
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
3-4 Cups of mixed color Cherry Tomatoes, save a few for garnish
12 Large Basil Leaves, thin sliced
Sea Salt (learn to make your own here)
Herb Seasoning
4 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
12 Large Basil Leaves, minced
3 Tbsp Fresh Italian parsley, minced with some reserved for garnish
3 tsp Fresh Thyme, minced
Fish
3 Smaller Fish (we used CA kelp rockfish) 12” or less, scaled, gutted and skin on, head on is optional
1/4 C high smoke point oil (we made our own spot prawn oil for extra umami flavor)
All Purpose Flour
Sea Salt
Garlic Powder
Lemon Juice
Method
Note: Start with the sauce base while someone else slices and stacks the veggies in a consistent pattern (slice of veggie 1 over veggie 2 over veggie 3 over veggie 4). Preheat the oven to 380˚F (193˚C) while someone works on the herb seasoning. The fish is quick and can be done in the last 15 minutes of the dish being in the oven.
Sauce Base and Vegetables
1) In a large oven safe pan (we used cast iron) over medium heat, add the olive oil, bell peppers, onion, and garlic - letting it simmer until the onions and bell pepper are soft. Add the rest of the ingredients and using a potato masher, mash all the ingredients together until all of the tomatoes are popped and smashed and mixed well with the rest of the ingredients.
2) Preheat the oven to 380˚F (193˚C). If you can, have someone start on step 4 at this point.
3) Starting from the outer edge of the pan, start layering the stacked veggies vertically around the circumference of the pan and continue until they spiral all the way into the middle. Sprinkle some salt over the top of the dish. Cut the cherry tomatoes (that were reserved for garnish) in half and place them skin up around the top of the veggies.
Herb Seasoning
4) In a small bowl, add all the ingredients and thoroughly mix together. Spread the seasoning over the top of the spiraled veggies using a spoon.
Bake
5) Cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in middle shelf of oven for 45 minutes. At this point, you can have someone start on step 8.
6) Remove the fish from the refrigerator and set aside so it can begin to warm closer to room temperature.
7) Remove the tinfoil and cook for another 20 minutes until the vegetables are fully cooked and soft. Broil on high for about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes and veggies are blistered.
Fish
8) Take the fish and rinse them off then towel dry them as best as possible. Make 3 diagonal slits in the skin at a 45 degree angle to the spine starting from the head and moving toward the tail. Sprinkle with sea salt and garlic powder then dust with flour.
9) In a large wok or frying pan, heat over medium high and add oil. Make sure both pan and oil are very hot before adding the fish. It will splatter, so a splatter guard may be preferable. Cook until skin is crispy and meat is clearly seen to be cooked through the cuts in the skin. Flip and repeat for the other side.
Assembly
10) Ideally, fish will be done cooking just as the veggies are done in the oven. Remove the pan from the oven and place the fish on top. Sprinkle the dish with the remaining chopped parsley, liberally squeeze some lemon over the fish and sprinkle everything with some salt and pepper.
The meal is ready to be enjoyed in a family “dig in while it’s hot!” style!