By Lidey Heuck

I want to incorporate more fish into my diet and have been trying out new recipes. This one, in which cherry tomatoes are roasted with garlic, shallots, sherry vinegar and a drizzle of honey, turn them into a sweet and savory condiment for simple roasted fish such as halibut, cod, haddock, sole or flounder. A thick white fish works best.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 4 servings

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (about 2 large cloves)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing fish
  • 1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 4(6-ounce) skin-on mild white fish fillets, such as cod or halibut (I used skinless)
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (from about ½ lemon) (I used freshly squeezed lemon juice)
  • Chopped fresh basil, for serving
  • Chopped fresh mint, for serving

PREPARATION

  1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatoes, shallots and garlic in a 9-by-13-inch nonreactive baking dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Pour over the tomatoes and toss to combine. Roast until the tomatoes have collapsed and the shallots are translucent, about 15 minutes.
  2. While the tomatoes roast, pat the fish dry with paper towels, brush all over with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper.
  3. Toss the tomatoes, move them to the sides of the dish and place the fish fillets, evenly spaced, in the center. Roast until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes.
  4. Sprinkle the entire dish with the lemon zest, basil and mint. Serve the fish with the tomatoes, spooning any remaining juices on top.

Note: I always roast 1/2 of a fresh lemon alongside the fish and then squeeze on hot lemon juice when serve.