This dish has so many things I embrace wholeheartedly: fish caught using sustainable methods, locally grown cherry tomatoes, and seasonal Hatch chile peppers. This is Chilean Sea Bass from trusted local supplier TJ's Fresh Seafood Market, which sources its seafood responsibly; cherry tomatoes from one of the local, organic farmers at the Coppell Farmers Market; and roasted seasonal Hatch chile peppers from Central Market.
This isn't really a recipe, more of a suggestion. The fish, three portions approximately 6 oz. each, was sprinkled on all sides with Penzey's Ruth Ann's Muskego Ave Chicken and Fish Seasoning, a blend of salt, black pepper, garlic, lemon peel, and onion. Any subtle seasoning like that would work well. The fish is so nice it doesn't need to be overpowered by spices. I rinsed a bunch of cherry tomatoes. I removed the blackened skin, stems, and seeds from a couple of mild Hatch chile peppers and diced them.
I heated a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat for a long time to make sure that it was evenly heated, coated it with good olive oil (in this case a basil-infused Texas olive oil), then added the Chilean Sea Bass filets. (Interestingly enough, Chilean Sea Bass is neither bass nor Chilean. Check out this Wikipedia article if you're interested in knowing more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonian_toothfish.)
The filets were really thick, maybe 2", so I cooked them skin-side-down for almost 10 minutes, then flipped them and cooked about 5 more minutes. It's a relatively fatty fish, so it's pretty forgiving if you "overcook" it. I removed the cooked filets from the skillet, put them on a plate, and tented it with aluminum foil.
I put the pretty yellow cherry tomatoes and diced Hatch chiles in the skillet and cooked them, giving everything a good stir now and again, until most of the tomatoes burst, then poured in the juices that had accumulated on the plate the fish was resting on and stirred that in. Then I just plated and served.
This is a quick, easy, healthy, and responsible dinner that anyone can make in no time. There's little prep and few ingredients. High quality, sustainable fish isn't cheap; however, its flavor is so good you only need a small portion. Plus when you eat well you're making an investment in your future health and the health of our planet.
