Myra's Kitchen Blog » Dinner: Braised Tile Fish Steaks

I went to the greenmarket the other day in search of a thick piece of fish which I wished fervently to braise in chicken or beef stock. I couldn’t get the braising bug out of my head since recently reading the Mark Bittman NY times article on that very subject. I was even prepared to purchase a whole fish, fillet it, and keep the carcass frozen until I had two or three, and I could make a broth. What I came home with was a whole tile fish because it just looked too fresh and delectable to pass up. The fishmonger insisted that I cut the flesh into steaks, which sideswiped my plans for a tidy carcass, but I still had the head, tail, and some flesh leftover.

I ended up cutting four thick steaks. I first salted and peppered the pieces and seared them for five minutes per side in a large skillet using aroma-free coconut oil as the fat. I then set aside the steaks while sweating in the same skillet –for 10 minutes or so–a bunch of vegetables: onions, fennel, purple potatoes, carrots, and cauliflower. I stirred in some saffron, smoked paprika, and a tad tomato paste before adding a few cups of rich chicken bone broth. The liquid reduced for 10 minutes; then I returned the fish to the pan and covered it. The fish braised until cooked through, about 15 minutes–the vegetables were perfectly tender by that time as well. I served the dish in a shallow bowl so that each bite could be draped in the silky sauce. The side was garlicky sautéed spinach. It turned out to be a quick, delicious meal.

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