Ingredients
- 2 large baking potatoes
- 2 medium red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and cut into ½ inch thick wedges
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
- Chili peppers, quartered and seeded (your choice of the freshest
available or personal favorite):
- 1 to 2 pimiento (cherry bomb) peppers (my personal favorite) –or–
- 1 to 2 jalapeño peppers (perfectly good, and readily available) –or–
- 1 to 2 serrano peppers (good for heat, but not much flavor)
- salt, to taste
- 1¼ to 1½ pounds of white fish fillets (tilapia, sole, halibut, or cod)
- 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- coarse salt, to taste
Preparation
- In a large flame-proof casserole or Dutch oven, build the casserole:
- Set the potato slices on the bottom.
- Scatter the bell peppers, garlic, and chili peppers over the potatoes.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- Place the fish on top and sprinkle it with paprika and salt.
- Add the tomatoes and cilantro or parsley.
- Pour the water in at the edges.
- Sprinkle the top with oil
- Sprinkle generously with salt.
- Set the pan over high heat, cover, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the fish is cooked through.
- Check the pan after 20 minutes; if there seems to be too much liquid, uncover the pan for the remaining cooking time.
At this point, the casserole should be fully cooked and ready to serve, however, I’ve found that cooking for an extra hour, uncovered, over low heat really brings the flavors together and is really worth the extra time.
- Serve hot or warm with challah.