Recipe: Grouper with Scales of Zucchini (baked in wine, served with basil-tomato sauce)

GROUPER WITH SCALES OF ZUCCHINI

2 medium (12 pound) zucchini, scrubbed clean*
4 cups water
FOR THE SAUCE:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes with juices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
10 medium fresh basil leaves
FOR THE FISH:
4 (8 ounces each) skinless, boneless fillets of grouper, wolf fish, or orange roughy
1/2 cup dry white wine

TO PREPARE THE ZUCCHINI:
Cut the zucchini into slices 1/8-inch or thinner. In a large pot, bring the 4 cups water to a boil, add the zucchini, and boil for 2 minutes. Drain, run under cold water to stop the cooking, pat the slices dry, and set aside.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE:
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, uncovered, or until the onion is soft.

Add the tomatoes with their juices, salt and pepper, the thyme and the basil leaves. Simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

TO PREPARE THE FISH:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper and place them in a non-stick saute pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Arrange the zucchini slices over the fish, forming an overlapping pattern that looks like the scales of a fish. Add the wine and more salt and pepper to taste and bring the wine to a simmer.

Cover the saute pan with a lid or foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the fish is flaky.

While the fish is cooking, blend the sauce into a smooth puree.

TO SERVE:
Ladle some sauce over the entire surface of a dinner plate. Remove the zucchini-covered fish with a slotted spatula to a paper towel to absorb any excess liquid before setting it in the middle of the sauce.

*ABOUT ZUCCHINI:
Zucchini is a summer squash. Like all squashes, it originated in South and Central America and was introduced to Europe during the years of colonization in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Zucchini was brought back to America in 1921 by Italian immigrants, who had a special fondness for the soft tender vegetable.

When buying zucchini, look for slender ones that are 3 to 6 inches long. At this size, the seeds are edible and the flesh is sweet. The skin should be smooth and unblemished and either dark green or light green with dark stripes. Zucchini will last in the vegetable bin of the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.

Makes 4 servings
Source: Good to Eat by Burt Wolf