Orange Roughy with Preserved Lemons and Olives

Copyright 2007 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Ingredients:
6 oz. Orange Roughy fillet or any other white fish
1 preserved lemon, diced into small cubes
4 oz. pitted Greek olives, diced into small cubes
1/2 cup of fresh mint, roughly minced
1 t cumin
¼ cup white wine
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
salt and pepper

Season both sides of your fish with salt and pepper. Warm olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat and then add fish. Brown on both sides (about two minutes per side) and then carefully remove fish and place on papertowels.

Using the same saute pan, add lemon, olives, cumin, mint and garlic and blend well for about a minute. Add white wine to deglaze the pan and let the alcohol burn off. Then add butter to create a sauce.

Place the lemon-olive mixture in the center of a plate. Place fish on top and drizzle sauce on and around the fish.

Makes one serving. Serve with roasted vegetables.

Pair with a glass of Chardonnay.
TIP: Orange roughy is a very delicate fish, but that's what makes it so flakey and yummy. So be careful when flipping it while browning. Use a metal spatula or something similar.

WHICH WHITE FISH: I chose orange roughy for this dish mostly because it was the freshest looking fish at Whole Foods. I should note, however, that orange roughy has a high amount of mercury so it shouldn’t be eaten by kids or if you’re pregnant. And you shouldn’t eat it that often. Also, there’s still questions about whether orange roughy has been overfished. I’m hoping because Whole Foods has a seafood sustainability mission statement, that they purchased their orange roughy from a fisherman who uses good fishing practices. If you’re uncomfortable with orange roughy, red snapper or catfish is a good alternative.