Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives on a Bed of Puréed Bean

Ingredients

Recipe: Baked Fish with Tomatoes and Olives

For the Fish

1 ½ to 2 pounds of firm white fish, such as halibut or sea bass. Chermoula (see below) Sprigs of flat leaf parsley 4 large firm ripe tomatoes, cut into thick slices sea salt 10 ½ ounces green (or green and black) olives, pitted, preferably by you, sliced in half 2 cups cooked Rancho Gordo Cassoulet beans and some of their cooking liquid

For the Chermoula

5 cloves of garlic, minced to a fine paste or pounded in a mortar 1 small onion, finely grated ½ bunch of cilantro, stems discarded, finely chopped 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon paprika ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil juice of 2 lemons, or to taste sea salt, to taste

Directions

Pat the fish dry with paper towels and place on a platter or in a bowl. Gently massage the fish with the chermoula and marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, in the refrigerator.

2Preheat the oven to 425F (220C).

3Blanch the pitted olives in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve.

4Spread the parsley over the bottom of an oven-to-table baking dish large enough to hold the fish. Lay down the marinated fish and then cover with sliced tomatoes. Season the tomatoes with salt and add any leftover chermoula over the tomatoes. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes. Add the reserved olives and cook for another 10 minutes. Take care to not overcook the fish. A whole fish will take a few minutes longer than fish fillets. Allow the dish to rest for 5 minutes.

5Warm the beans in a small pot and puree them with an immersion blender. The consistency should be almost like a pancake batter; thick but still soft and liquid. If they are too runny, turn up the heat to medium-high and stir as the bean puree thickens. If the beans are too thick, add a little water.

6Have each guest put a ladle full of the bean puree on each plate and then add the fish.