Fish is a staple at our house – good fish.  I’m pretty picky when it comes to buying it – I flat out will not purchase or eat tilapia, and I tend to stay away from farmed fish.  Some of our favorites are grouper, trigger fish, mahi, sea bass, and tuna.  Today, the grocery store had fresh corvina fillets, so I grabbed a couple of those, but had no plans what to do with them.

I usually pan fry fillets with a little salt and pepper, finish them with a squeeze of lemon, and serve them with veggies and rice. Simple, but good and healthy. Occasionally I’ll fix fresh fish tacos (or taco bowls), or do something with an Asian spin, but tonight I wanted something different.

I decided to go with a tomato base, adding zucchini and butter beans, and serving it with garlic-parsley dairy-free mashed potatoes instead of rice (we eat LOTS of rice).  The result was delicious!  I also broiled the fish this time, instead of preparing it on the cooktop, and I really like how it turned out – nice and crispy on the outside, tender and flakey on the inside.  You can use any mild white fish, but if you go with corvina, be careful to look for bones.  I’m not sure if the fish itself is really boney, or if the guy at the fish counter just missed a few when he cut the fillets, but I had to pull out some sharp ones.  Also, the way I make it is gluten-free and dairy-free, but of course you can use regular milk and flour if you wish to.

To serve, I used larger bowls and placed a serving of mashed potatoes in the bottom, topped with a couple ladles of the stew, then placed the fish fillet on top.

Enjoy!

Corvina with Zucchini and Beans in Tomato Broth

2 corvina fillets
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup zucchini, diced
1 teaspoon *herbs de provence (or any of the following herbs:  basil, fennel, marjoram, parsley, rosemary, lavender, tarragon, thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white wine
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with the juice
1 14.5 ounce can chicken broth
1 can butter beans (or cannellini beans)
1 tablespoon flour (I use gluten-free)
4 tablespoons milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
salt and pepper
one recipe of your favorite mashed potatoes (garlic or plain)

In a large sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Had the diced zucchini, season with salt and herbs, and sauté just until the zucchini begins to brown.  Add the wine and reduce the heat to medium-low, adding the tomatoes and chicken broth, and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Prepare your mashed potatoes, and keep them warm.

While the stew is cooking, preheat the broiler in your oven and spray the broiler pan with non-stick cooking spray.  season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper, then place them on the pan and brush the tops with the remaining olive oil and place the pan about 5-6″ beneath the broiler element for about 5-7 minutes, keeping an eye on them so they do not burn.  Once the tops are golden brown and crispy, move them down to the middle rack of the oven, turn off the broiler, and close the door.

To thicken the broth, whisk or shake together 1 tablespoon of flour with 4 tablespoons of milk.  Bring the broth to a low boil, and slowly whisk in the thickener until the broth is slightly thickened – you probably won’t need to use all if it – just enough to thicken it up a little without making it too thick or gooey.

Remove the fish fillets from the oven.  Place a serving of mashed potatoes in the bottom of a shallow bowl, top with a couple ladles of the stew and broth, then top with the fish.