The hubs really loves fish of any kind.  I wasn’t as big of a fish admirer before we were married, but I guess I’ve morphed over time.  Salmon is a no brainer for me and I make a mean halibut.  Occasionally tuna sneaks onto the menu. And from time to time swordfish.  But I have to admit (after a couple of glasses of wine when I’m being brutally honest with myself), that there is still some intimidation factor for me when it comes to preparing fish.  I can’t put my finger on it, but I think it has to do with feeling that fish requires a much more precise cooking time.  And let’s face it, when fish is gross, it’s just plain gross and there’s not much that came be done to gussy it up.

That’s why I love this recipe that I came across recently.  It was written forsSole and the sauce also contained fennel.  I make it with rockfish, because that’s what my Costco has in stock quite regularly and it’s REALLY reasonably priced. I have made the sauce with fennel and it is lovely that way.  But if you’re like me, you probably don’t just have a fennel bulb kicking around in the fridge.  So I love this recipe in its modified format for  2 reasons: 1) it’s baked and my fish  intimidation factor gets knocked down a notch 2) it contains stuff that I normally have on hand.

So I start by  just chopping an onion and sauteeing it in some olive oil.  I add a little garlic once the onion starts to turn golden.  Then I add a can of diced tomatoes and their juices along with some white wine.  Finally, I throw in some capers and season with some salt and pepper.  I tame the capers a bit by rinsing them well before adding them.  Otherwise their taste can be a bit overpowering and the little palates of the house aren’t exactly caper fans in their un-rinsed state.

If you wish to do the fennel version of the sauce, you can just sautee the fennel right along with the onion.

After the sauce is done, transfer it to the bottom of a shallow, wide baking dish.  I use the old 9×13 casserole dish.

Then take your fish filets and roll them.  Place them on top of the sauce.  To finish things off, mix together some dry bread crumbs, softened butter and salt and pepper.  Place a nice dollop of this breadcrumb mixture right in the center of each fish roll.

Now sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of white wine around the fish (not on it) and into the sauce. Bake the whole thing at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Recipe adapted from Epicurious.

For the full recipe, click here.