Recipe: Fish Creole Recipes for Manyhats

Manyhats,

I found two baked fish creole recipes for you, since the other recipe was not complete. The first one is spicier than the second. They sound good, though. I hope one of them works out for you.

Baked Fish Creole

1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 cup chili sauce
3 cups cooked white rice
1 pound thin fish fillets
2 tomatoes, sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Lightly butter a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until tender about 4 minutes. Add the celery and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Do not brown add the flour and stir well. Cook for 3 minutes.

Stir in the milk and bring just to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Stir in the chili sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Place rice into the bottom of the prepared pan. Arrange the fish fillets over the rice in a single layer. Place the sliced tomatoes over the fish and pour the sauce over the top.

Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for 20 minutes or until fish is just cooked and flakes easily with a fork.

Baked Fish Creole

A flour-thickened vegetable sauce melds flavors with orange roughly in this bayou-country dish.

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup chopped peeled onion
1 tablespoon chopped seeded green bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup canned tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 whole bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups hot water
3 pounds orange roughy fillets (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

Melt butter over medium-low heat in large, heavy skillet; saut onion, green pepper and garlic, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add flour and mix well; continue cooking, stirring often, until flour has browned a bit, about 1 minute.

Add tomato sauce, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in hot water. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes.

Arrange fish in shallow baking pan; cover with sauce.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf prior to serving.
Makes 6 servings.

Note: Any firm-fleshed white fish can be substituted for orange roughly in this recipe.
Cooking Tip: Add a can of diced green chili peppers or some hot sauce for a spicier flavor.