Onaga (Hawaiian Red Snapper) in Tomato-Fennel Broth for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

I was craving a fish soup this week and found local onanga (which is Hawaiian red snapper) on sale. Then it just came down to choosing a recipe. Mark Bittman had a variety of mix-and-match preparations for white fish in an article in The New York Times Magazine that I found on line. Although not technically soup, the Poached Fish in Tomato-Fennel Broth sounded soupy enough and being a big lover of fennel, it also sounded delicious. 

The bonus--it's a one-pan dish (just add rice or bread to sop up all the broth) that takes very little time and effort but looks fancy enough to serve to company. 

Onaga in Tomato-Fennel Broth
Adapted from Mark Bittman, via The New York Times Magazine
(Serves 4)

Put a large, deep skillet over medium heat; add 2 tablespoons olive oil, a chopped onion and 2 chopped fennel bulbs. Add fish (1 1/2 lbs of any white fish), a pinch of saffron, 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, 1 cup diced tomatoes (canned are fine) and a cup of water or broth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, cover and turn off heat. Fish will be done in about 10 minutes. Garnish: Chopped fennel fronds.

Notes/Results: A great Bittman recipe, simple and fast to make and tastes delicious. I used fire-roasted tomatoes and a cup of vegetable broth instead of water and along with the fennel seeds and saffron, that helped add even more flavor. The fish was perfectly tender and juicy and I used my madoline for the onions and fennel so they made a great bed for the fish. This definitely filled all of my fish soup and fennel cravings and I would happily make it--or one of Bittman's other variations again.

I am linking this Mark Bittman recipe up at I Heart Cooking Clubs for this week's Potluck theme--our chance to make any dish from any of our past or current IHCC chefs. You can see what everyone made by checking out the picture links on the post. 

 
We have some good friends in the Souper Sundays kitchen who shared some delicious dishes last week--let's have a look!

Shaheen from Allotment2Kitchen made this colorful Beetroot, Horse Radish and Green Beans Pasta Salad and said, "I took inspiration from what was in my fridge: cooked beetroot and green beans and kitchen cupboards: horseradish powder and dried pasta and lunch was on the table in less than 30 minutes."

Melynda of Our Sunday Cafe shared three dishes this week: First this Terrific Turkey Soup with Lima Beans and Barley. She said, "It is more of a process really, one where you break bones, add water and simmer for 8-10 hours. After that, you strain the stock into a large stock pot to make soup on the stove.  Only then do I measure anything, but it is pretty basic and delicious. And like all soups freezes perfectly."

Next her Family Favorite Macaroni Salad, Melynda said, "Like most every other family, the macaroni salad we eat has evolved. I prefer a light dressing so that the individual components of the salad can shine through. This is a basic salad and can be adapted for your own family. The last time I made this salad, I used dried tortellini for the pasta, it was delicious!"

Finally, she made Julia's Caesar Over Mixed Greens and said, "Often when we enjoy a salad with our meals it is not a traditional salad in a recipe sort of way. For example, what you see over this platter of salad greens is a Caesar dressing, yet there are no croutons scattered over the greens, and it is more than just romaine lettuce."

Simona of Briciole shared Purgatory Bean Salad with Tahini Sauce and Asian Pear and said, "The small beans cook relatively quickly, are firm in texture and delicate in flavor. I dressed them with tahini sauce, something that would probably raise a few eyebrows in their homeland, where they are served dressed with the local olive oil. Some finely diced Asian pear offers a nice lightly sweet contrast to the earthy beans and the intense tahini." 

Tina of Squirrel Head Manor brought Butternut Squash Soup Cooked Overnight in the Slow Cooker and said, "The only weird thing was I awoke at 3 a.m. and could smell that soup - the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and broth and nutmeg wafting up to the bedroom. Then I started wondering if I put enough broth in the crock. I didn't want it to dry up so I crept downstairs and hovered over the clear lid shining my flashlight beam into the crock. It looked ok, but I still stirred it just in case. It turned out well but I need to use more broth next time."

Finally here at Kahakai Kitchen, I made Bamia (Okra Stew) an Iraqi dish and a delicious mix of exotic flavors. I am learning to appreciate okra and all its slimy glory ;-) and this stew, served with rice and naan bread, was a great way to enjoy it. 

 
Mahalo to everyone who joined in this week! 

Souper Sundays is back with a new format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.)

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you.

On your entry post (on your blog):

• please mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post.
• you are welcome to add the wonderful Souper Sundays logo (created by Ivy at Kopiaste) to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!