Mexican-Style Rice With Fish

Another winning recipe found within the pages of the Toronto Star – this one from February. Full disclosure – three of us LOVED this dish (yours truly included) and two weren’t crazy about the fish and the tomato sauce – but one thing we all agreed on: the Mexican-style rice is to die for. Even if you aren’t a fan of fish – this rice dish would go well with almost any other type of meat. There was a bit of prep with this dish – but in my opinion – well worth it! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

Rice:

1 Lg. onion, chopped
3 T. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 T. chili powder
1/2 t. each ground cumin and ground coriander
1 1/2 c. parboiled, long-grain rice (you can parboil it yourself but I lazily bought a bag of parboiled rice specifically for this recipe)
3 c. chicken broth or water (I used broth)
1 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can (19 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
salt and pepper

Fish:

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1/4 c. olive oil
juice from 1 lime
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper
4-5 white fish fillets

For the rice: With the rack in the centre, preheat oven to 350F. If you’re fancy, use an oven-proof skillet for this next step. However, if you’re like me – then just use a regular skillet and then transfer into a small casserole dish when placing into the oven. Brown onions in oil. Add garlic and spices and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Add rice and stir well to ensure it is coated with spice mixture and oil. Add broth, cilantro and black beans. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

Then transfer to an oven-proof casserole dish and cover and bake for 25 minutes (until broth has been absorbed). Let rest for 5 minutes; stir with a fork before serving.

For the fish: Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring the tomatoes, onion, oil, lime juice and red pepper flakes to a boil. Simmer until the tomato juice is almost completely evaporated – approximately 20 minutes. Add cilantro and stir.

Add the fish, ensuring the fillets are covered with the tomato mixture. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes – until fish is cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over top of Mexican-style rice.

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