Looking in my pantry one afternoon, I realized I had quite the assortment of olives. Kalamata olives, Greek stuffed olives, orange peel stuffed olives, black olives, large green olives and an olive and herb mix in vermouth. I guess it’s no secret, I love olives. But I really needed to make room in my pantry for a few other items, so I thought I’d better start dreaming up something yummy to prepare with delectable olives.
One of my favorite olives to serve as an appetizer with cheese, artisan crackers and winter fruit is the orange peel stuffed olive. Typically I can only find these olives around the holidays so when I find them I snatch several jars and save them for my olive cravings. Citrus and olives seem to compliment each other beautifully. Combined with a few other standout ingredients, a beautiful and tasty relish is created.
This delightful relish can be served over most grilled, pan seared, poached or roasted white fish. It’s also delicious over grilled chicken breasts or roasted chicken. Try the relish over garlic crostini for a fun and tasty starter to your family or holiday gathering. You can also prepare the relish a day in advance. Just bring it to room temperature before serving.
Bright flavors and intense colors make this recipe a divine little fish dish. Keep dinner simple… Enjoy the flavors of life!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs Petrale Sole (Cod, Halibut, Sea Bass, Swordfish or Flounder are all excellent substitutions)
Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Olive oil
1 cup mandarin oranges, coarsely chopped
1 cup black and green olives, diced (mixed Greek olives also work well in this relish)
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced or grated
¼ cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped, and a little extra for garnish
1 tablespoon dry sherry or white wine
Directions
Season the fish with salt, pepper and smoked paprika. Set aside.
Toss together the oranges, olives, ginger, basil, dry sherry or wine and a dash of olive oil, then season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Set aside at room temperature. This relish can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temp before serving.
Prepare the fish either in the oven or stove top.
To roast the fish in the oven, place the fish in a baking dish and drizzle the fish with olive oil and white wine. Roast the fish on 375F until done. Most fish will take 10 minutes of cooking per inch of thickness.
To pan sear, add a little olive oil to a skillet and heat on medium heat. Pan sear the fish until done and then transfer to a platter.
Once the fish is done, plate the fish on individual plates or a platter and top with the mandarin and olive relish. Serve immediately.
This dish is fabulous with a mixed green salad with citrus vinaigrette or roasted asparagus spears found under “sides” in this blog.
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