Cod in Sweet and Sour Pepper Sauce

This is even better if you make it a day ahead. The sauce, without the fish, will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. Recipe by Martha Rose Shulman in the NYTimes (Dec. 2, 2013), inspired by Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem" cookbook. The original calls for frying the fish, this one oven-steams it, but the escabeche-like sauce makes both versions delicious! You can substitute sugar for the honey, if you prefer.

• Ready In: 50 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs  alaskan cod fish fillets
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  large onion, halved and sliced across the grain
• 1  tablespoon  coriander seed
• 2  large red bell peppers or 1  red pepper and 1  yellow pepper, sliced
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 2  teaspoons curry powder
• 1 (14 ounce) can chopped tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons  mild honey, such as clover
• 4  tablespoons sherry wine vinegar or 4  tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2  bay leaves

Directions

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil and oil the foil. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and lay on the foil. Leave at room temperature while you make the sauce.
2. 2. Heat the oil in a large skillet or casserole over medium heat and add the onion and coriander seeds. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes, and add the bell peppers and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the peppers and onions are soft, another 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and curry powder, if using, and stir together for a minute, until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes cook down slightly, about 8 minutes. Stir in the honey and vinegar, salt to taste and black pepper, and simmer 5 minutes.
3. 3. Meanwhile, place a pan of just boiled water on the floor of your oven and place the baking sheet with the fish in the oven on the middle rack. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish is opaque on the surface but still slightly firm in the middle. Remove from the oven and place in the sauce. Spoon sauce over the top so that the fish is surrounded by it. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and can be pulled apart with a fork. Remove from the heat and serve, or even better, chill overnight, then gently reheat the next day.