My Trouble With Fish – Poached Fish With Tomatoes In Fennel Pollen Broth

I have never been much of a fish eater, and for that I blame my mother. Odd for someone trained as a marine biologist. But then again, I also don’t love boats (I get seasick) and I can’t spend too much time on the beach (too much sun).

But let’s focus on the first issue on my list.

I love other seafood. My last meal before I die hopefully will include Salt Baked Shrimp and there’s nothing like ice cold Shrimp Cocktail. Since I was young I’ve eaten my father’s Mussels with White Wine, Garlic, and Parsley, and Spaghetti and Clams is an easy weeknight meal. My wife has taught me to love steamers, and I’ll always have one or two raw oysters, while my wife slurps down dozens, if they are available. Summer is not summer without a steamed lobster or a lobster roll or two. Baked, stuffed clams are a Long Island classic. And fried calamari, when made right, is one of the perfect fried foods. But regular old fish doesn’t come easy to me.

Growing up, my mother always ate a meal different than the rest of the family. On most days my father cooked for himself and my brothers, while my mother cooked her own dinner. Often, it was fish, enough for dinner plus plenty for leftovers to eat at work for lunch the following days.

But it wasn’t just any fish. She usually cooked bluefish or shad. These are very oily species, with an odor far more fishy than your average flaky, white-fleshed species like flounder, haddock, or cod. However, it wasn’t just the variety she cooked, but how she cooked them; broiled under a high flame, which released all of that oily, fishy stink. A cloud filled the entire house – and probably neighborhood – choking us with the scent although we were far from the ocean. It probably clung to our clothes, like the stale smell of cigarettes in the home of a smoker. It was awful, one of the worst memories of my childhood, along with having to wait for my mother for hours in the fabric store as she sorted through giant rolls searching for material with which to sew her own clothes. There is nothing for a kid to do in a fabric store.

I suppose if the worst of my childhood was the malodorous fog from broiling fish (and sitting impatiently in a fabric store), I didn’t have it too bad. But boy did that fish leave an imprint on my palate, and I refused to eat any finfish because I assumed it was all the same.

Once, when in college, I visited a friend on Cape Cod. His parents were serving flounder for dinner and I practically had a panic attack because I knew I would have to eat it. But as I tasted it I learned that it was mild and not at all fishy.

Slowly, over time, I occasionally let more fish pass through my lips. I would taste what my wife ordered, or I would be forced to eat it when prepared by a friend. But I never cooked it myself or ordered it in a restaurant. Of course, my palate matured. Now I have no problem eating those flaky, white-fleshed fish, and seared tuna caught by a friend or a grilled swordfish steak are a not an uncommon meal in our house. Sometimes I even enjoy thin slices of raw tuna basted in soy or rolled into sushi. But bluefish and shad (and unfortunately salmon, as well) bring nightmares that may send me to therapy.

As for boats and the beach…it’s not that I don’t enjoy them, it’s just that conditions must be right. Calm waves with little rocking and rolling make a boat trip perfectly fine, and only a short stint in the sun makes time on a beach a pleasure, but even then I have to have an umbrella to give me shade.

Poached Fish With Tomatoes In Fennel Pollen Broth

This recipe is modified from Alison Roman’s Tomato-Poached Fish With Chile Oil and Herbs in the New York Times. Her original recipe is delicious, and here I have kept the basics, primarily replacing poaching water with chicken broth scented with fennel and fennel pollen. In addition, I switch out the herbs with a few wispy fennel leaves which add even more fennel flavor, as well as a beautiful accent.

serves 2, about 1 hour

1 Tbsp. butter

1-2 stalks from a bulb of fennel, finely diced, wispy fronds reserved for garnish

2 medium shallots, one finely diced, one thinly sliced into rings

2 cups chicken stock

¾ tsp. fennel pollen, divided

¼ cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

½ lb. cherry or grape tomatoes

½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

¾ lb. flaky white fish (like fluke, flounder, halibut, cod, haddock), cut into equal pieces

1. Make the fennel pollen broth. Melt butter over medium-low heat in a 2-quart saucepan. Add diced fennel and shallot, and cook for about 15 minutes until soft. Raise heat to high, add chicken stock, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced by about half, around 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, strain solids from broth through a fine mesh strainer, squeezing to remove as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Add ¼ teaspoon of fennel pollen to broth and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a 10 to 12-inch skillet (with a tight-fitting lid) over medium-high. Add garlic and sliced shallot rings and cook uncovered, stirring constantly until they are a light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, swirl for a few seconds to combine, and remove from heat. Transfer onions, shallots, and all but 1 tablespoon of oil to a small bowl.
3. Add tomatoes to skillet along with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until they become blistery and just burst, about 5 minutes.
4. Add reserved fennel pollen broth, stirring to deglaze the pan and release any browned bits of tomato, garlic, or shallot that may be stuck to the bottom. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Taste and add more salt if needed.
5. Season the fish with the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Nestle the pieces of fish in the tomatoes, cover the skillet, lower the heat to medium, and poach until the fish is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes for thinner slices, slightly longer for thicker slices.
6. Divide tomatoes and broth between two wide, shallow bowls (like pasta bowls) and place one piece of fish over each. Top with fried shallots and garlic and a drizzle of chili oil. Sprinkle with remaining ½ teaspoon of fennel pollen and garnish with fennel fronds.

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