One of my favorite activities is fishing, whether hooking a worm on a pole for brook trout, digging for clams in the mud on our beach, chipping a hole in the ice for bass, or bagging bait for lobster traps, I love fishing. But what I love even more are the rewards of cooking and eating the catch.
For those who visit or reside in the great state of Maine, the opportunities to fish are countless. Two state agencies, Department of Marine Resources and Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife provide excellent salt and freshwater resources for licensing requirements, legal sizes, stocking of lakes and ponds, season dates, and tips for safe harvesting. Their websites are a treasure chest of information that provide (almost) everything one needs to know about when planning a memorable family fishing adventure.
This winter my husband joined my brother Wesley ice-fishing on Lake Pennesseewasse in Norway (Maine.) Pennesseewasse, the Wabanaki place name meaning “shining then fading light”, is a long, narrow 922-acre lake with a maximum depth of 48 feet. The water is crystal clean, abundant with smallmouth bass and white perch, and stocked with brook and rainbow trout and land locked salmon. The harvest that trip included a rainbow trout, land locked salmon, and 4 ½ pound bass.
Undecided on how to prepare such a magnificent catch, the bass has been residing in my freezer until a recipe for baked fish in the New York Times caught my eye. A skinless mild white fish fillet such as cod, hake or haddock was recommended for the preparation of Ginger Baked Fish with Olives. Perfect! My husband filleted the fish, yielding two nice pieces, each about 12 ounces.
In Ginger Baked Fish with Olives, the fillets are coated with olive oil, olives, capers and lemon slices, then rubbed with freshly grated ginger, Maine sea salt and sprinkled with pepper. Similar to a deconstructed tapenade, in this recipe, the delicate fish in nestled in olive oil and stays moist while baked in the oven. Once baked, the fish and savory sauce are delicious when served over rice or with a crusty bread.
In her book, “Cooking Down East”, Marjorie Standish writes that “Basically, Maine fish recipes are very simple. This is because freshly caught fish needs little to enhance its flavor. There is one important rule in cooking fish and that is — Cook it Short. Keep in mind to cook fish only until it is tender but no longer. This preserves its delicate flavor and texture.”
Ginger Baked Fish with Olives, bathed in a briny, gingery oil and highlighted with bold lemons, olives and capers and brightened with fresh ginger is my new favorite way of keeping it simple with the bounty of a native, Maine fish.
Ginger Baked Fish with Olives
Ingredients
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 cup pitted green olives* Castelvetrano if possible
- 1 tablespoon drained capers
- 1 lemon
- 6 4-5 ounce fillets of skinless, mild, white fish, such as cod, haddock, halibut, bass
- Maine sea salt and fresh pepper
- 1 piece fresh ginger grated (about 2 tablespoons)
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and tools. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut the lemon in half. Thinly slice ½ of the lemon and squeeze and strain the juice of the other half.
- Roughly chop the olives and parsley. Grate the ginger. Set aside.
- On a rimmed baking dish, combine the olive oil, chopped green olives, capers and lemon slices. Turn the fish fillets in the oil to coat and space them in the pan.
- Season the fillets with Maine sea salt, then the grated ginger, rubbing it into the fish. Top each fillet with some freshly ground pepper, then sprinkle with the red pepper flakes.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake the fish until the center of each fillet is opaque and the fish flakes easily. About 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
- Carefully remove the foil and sprinkle the reserved lemon juice over everything.
- Spoon the olive oil mixture over the fish. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
