Baked White Fish with Charred Tomatoes and Feta

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 2

In a large oven-safe skillet, sauté the onion, leek and bell pepper in the olive oil on a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cumin and cook for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and then add the white wine. Allow this to bubble away for a couple of minutes. Mix in the tomatoes, half of the thyme, the lemon peel, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper and stir well. Simmer gently until the sauce thickens, 15-20 minutes, adding a little extra water if it goes much thicker than your typical pasta sauce. Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly. Remove from the heat and discard the lemon peel.

Step 3

Season the rock fish pieces with salt and pepper and nestle them into the tomato sauce. Press the feta pieces around the fish so that they are also slightly submerged in the sauce. Finish with the remaining tablespoon of thyme leaves. Place on the top rack of the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, until the seafood is just cooked, the sauce bubbles nicely and the cheese turns golden.

Step 4

Just before the fish is done, melt the butter in a small frying pan until it starts to foam. Add the red pepper flakes and cook until the butter just begins to brown. Pour in the lemon juice, stir and remove from the heat. Spoon this over the hot skillet as soon as it comes out of the oven. Serve with crusty ripped bread on the side and garnish with parsley.