Danny's Italian Style Fish

 

As promised, Danny prepared dinner for us this evening. The pasta and roasted squash made a perfect background for the focus of the meal-Italian Style Tilapia. Everything was perfect. He's rather proud of his work, and should be.

The recipe comes from a set of cookbooks my mother purchased a volume at a time in the mid-60's. It was a supermarket giveaway-save register receipts, and buy the book for a quarter, or something like that. For what the set is, the recipes are surprisingly good, and the photography is great fun. I'm not sure what makes this recipe, "Italian" save for the olive oil and oregano, but it was the perfect thing for an eight year old to cook. I know when I was his age, olive oil was something you purchased at the pharmacy for mother to swab your dried nostrils with. Oregano was reserved for pizza. The book was published in '66, so maybe this would have been kinda fancy. The recipe called for perch, but we had tilapia. I think it would be lovely with cod as well.

The sauce is really fragrant, so serve this with pasta, or rice, or good crusty bread to soak it up. I made tapenade rolls, which we served as well.


You Will Need:

1 well-behaved 8 1/2 year old child willing to cook you a meal
1 1/2 pounds tilapia (or perch, etc.)
2 tablespoons minced parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper (I'm sure he used more)
Pinch of oregano or dried mint

Wipe fillets with a damp cloth or paper towel. Cut fish into serving pieces. Cook parsley and garlic in hot oil in a deep skillet (we used a Dutch oven) for 3 minutes. Add hot water, and bring to a boil. Add fish and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil again, reduce to a quick simmer, and cover. Cook 5-10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve at once with the liquid for a sauce. Makes 4 servings.