Fish and Beans

This is based on a lovable Spanish dish, one you can vary any number of ways simply by using different beans and fish; some ideas follow. Use beans you’ve cooked yourself if at all possible. But canned are fine in a pinch.

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Four 6-ounce thick white fish fillets

All-purpose flour for dredging

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 medium onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices

4 cups cooked or canned chickpeas or cannellini beans, cooking liquid reserved

3/4 cup dry sherry, white wine, or water

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

• Heat the oven to 300 F. Put 2 tablespoons of the oil in a skillet large enough to hold the fish in one layer over medium-high heat. Dredge the fillets lightly in the flour and, when the oil is hot, add them, one at a time, to the skillet, shiny (it won’t have skin, so shiny) side up.
• Cook, undisturbed, until the cooked side is browned evenly, about 5 minutes. Turn the fish onto an ovenproof dish, browned side up, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and put it in the oven.
• Immediately add 2 more tablespoons of oil and the sliced onions to the skillet and cook, stirring, just until they start to color, a minute or two.
• Add the chickpeas to the skillet (along with about 1/2 cup of their liquid if they were not canned) and cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add all but a tablespoon of the sherry and raise the heat to high. Cook, shaking the pan now and then, until the liquid is all but evaporated and the chickpeas are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic along with some salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally; stir in the remaining olive oil and sherry.
• By this time the fish will be done. (If it is not, keep the chickpeas warm over low heat until it is.) Serve the fish on top of the chickpeas, scattered with parsley.

5 Ways to Spin Fish and Beans
• 1. Mash or purée the beans at the end of Step 3.
• 2. Mix some boiled or roasted potato cubes into the beans while they’re heating.
• 3. Cook some roughly chopped greens—like kale, collards, spinach, or cabbage—in the pan with the beans.
• 4. Add some fresh ripe cherry tomato halves to the beans just before serving; give them a few quick stirs to warm and wilt them.
• 5. Go for Asian flavors: Use a neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, and use scallions instead of onions. Use soybeans or adzuki beans and substitute sake for the sherry and cilantro for the parsley. Drizzle with a little soy sauce and a few drops of dark sesame oil at the very end.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 30 minutes with cooked or canned chickpeas