Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Basil and Whitefish

Unlike in Canada, we tend to eat a lot of fish here, probably because it is so plentiful. Our favourite is, of course, Pacific salmon when we can get it, but we also enjoy many other fish fresh from the Gulf! Mostly, we purchase white fish, which has a variety of types, more common are grouper, bass, pompano and red snapper in our area.

1. White fish is especially low in fat.
2. White fish is rich in B vitamins.
3. White fish is rich in selenium.
4. White fish is a great source of iodine.
5. White fish is high in protein.

Source: http://kathrynvercillo.hubpages.com/hub/5-Health-Benefits-of-White-Fish

Having said the above, one also has to be concerned about the source of the fish you are buying. Is it fresh caught or farm-bred? Much of the frozen tilapia is from China. Here is what one doctor had to say about that…

Farm-bred fish have been found to have high concentrations of antibiotics and pesticides – Where do farm-bred fish get their antibiotics? The crowded conditions of fish farms cause the fish to be more susceptible to disease. To keep them alive, farm owners give antibiotics to the fish to stave off disease. Farm-bred fish are also treated with pesticides to combat sea lice.2 The pesticides used to treat these fish are so deadly that they have been caused to kill wild salmon that are accidentally exposed to them. These pesticides are also eventually released in the ocean where they get into the bodies and systems of other marine life.

This is my source…

 http://draxe.com/eating-tilapia-is-worse-than-eating-bacon/

This recipe is not only easy to prepare, it is very tasty and looks so great on a plate. Food Network to the rescue with this one! I hope the preamble does not put you off! Read labels!!! Ask questions.

Oven Roasted Cherry Tomatoes with Basil and Whitefish

Total Time: 30 min Prep: 5 min Cook: 25 min   Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 pints cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 dozen baby peppers in a variety of colours tops only removed – (Costco sells these by the bag here).
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 to 15 garlic cloves, peeled
• Coarse salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, torn into halves and thirds 1 to 1 1/4 pounds white fleshed fish  [see note above]
  

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a 9 by 13-inch baking pan, combine tomatoes, peppers, oil, garlic, salt, pepper and 1/2 the basil. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, gently stir. Nestle fish in pan with tomatoes and peppers, place back in oven and continue roasting 7 to 10 minutes more or until fish is no longer translucent and tomatoes are just beginning to burst. Remove from oven. Divide fish among serving plates. Add remaining basil to tomatoes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon over fish in equal portions.

Author: reg45

Canadian guy living part time in Progreso, Yucatan. View all posts by reg45