Mushroom-Coated Thick White-Fleshed Fish Fillets with Wine and Olives

Finely ground dried mushrooms make an excellent crust; toasting them enhances their flavor. Halibut makes a nice, mild-tasting choice for this dish. If you use larger, 8- to 10-ounce cod or grouper fillets, cut them in half the short way for even cooking.

3⁄4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

11⁄2 teaspoons fl our

Four 4- to 6-ounce thick white-fleshed fish fillets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1⁄2 cup dry white wine

24 pitted green olives, halved

1 teaspoon stemmed thyme or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1⁄4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Place the dried mushrooms in a skillet, then set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until quite aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and cool for 10 minutes. Add the fl our; process until finely ground.
• Pat the fillets dry with paper towels, then massage the mushroom mixture evenly into the flesh.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl in the olive oil, then add the fish fillets. Shake the pan several times within the first few seconds to make sure the fillets aren’t sticking, then cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes
• Pour the wine into the pan without getting it on the fish. Sprinkle the olives around the pan and add the thyme. Bring the sauce to a simmer; then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the fish is firm to the touch and flakes when scraped lightly with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes.
• Transfer the fillets to four serving plates. Raise the heat to high and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook until reduced to a glaze, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, swirl in the butter until it melts, check the sauce to see if it needs any salt, and spoon it over the fish. Sprinkle each with a little ground pepper just before serving.

Makes 4 servings