Cheesy Tomato Dory

In conjunction with the long weekend, I cooked up something indulgent, instead of my usual healthy, low-fat meals. Once in a blue moon, it is all right, but not all the time. 😉

This new recipe was inspired by Chicken Parmigiana, but instead of baking the dish, only a non-stick pan with a lid was used. Ready in 30 minutes, this low-tech recipe is for people who do not have ovens, or are not familiar with ovens. 🙂

I also prepared a two-ingredient side dish of creamy corn to go along with it. The side dish goes well with the contrasting tartness of the tomato paste in the main dish too.

Cheesy Tomato Dory

Cheesy Tomato Dory
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 dory fillets (thawed)
1 can (220g) tomato puree
4 slices of individually wrapped cheddar cheese (Emborg)
Salt
Black pepper
Dried oregano
2 tbsp. olive oil

Method:

1. Heat up the oil in a non-stick pan.
2. Pat the dory fillets dry with kitchen towels. Season with salt, black pepper and oregano. Give them a light rub to coat them evenly.
3. When the oil is hot, turn the heat down to medium-low, then place the fillets carefully into the pan. Cook each side, with pan covered, until the fish turns from translucent to opaque (white). When cooked, the fish flakes easily with a fork.
4. Add half the tomato puree to the top of the fish. Cover the pan. When the tomato puree is bubbling, flip the fillets over carefully. Then, top with the remaining puree. Cover the pan again.
5. When the puree is hot and bubbling, place the slices of cheese on top of the fillets coated with puree. Two slices of cheese for each fillet. Be sure to cover the length of the fillets. Cover the pan.
6. When the cheese has melted a little, turn off the heat. Transfer each fillet onto a serving dish. Use 2 spatulas to help you.
7. Serve hot with a side dish of your choice.

Juicy and succulent fish fillet

Creamy corn

Ingredients:
Frozen corn kernels
1-2 tsp. mayonnaise or sour cream

Method:
1. Boil the corn kernels for a few minutes till cooked. Turn off the heat and pour away the water.
2. Add the mayonnaise or sour cream and stir till well mixed.
3. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge till it is time to serve.

Pan-fried herb & butter dory fillet

You might be wondering why I have been cooking dory a lot lately. Well, since I bought a bag of frozen dory fillets, and there are four to six fillets in a bag depending on their size and collective weight, I still have a few more to cook. 🙂

For yesterday’s dinner, I prepared herb and butter fillet, with a two-ingredient tomato and cottage cheese salad on the side. It is fuss-free, and best of all, ready in under 30 minutes. Here are the recipes. 😀

Front: Pan-fried herb and dory fillet. Back: Tomato and cottage cheese salad.

Pan-fried herb and butter dory fillet
Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 dory fillets
2 tbsp. of butter
Assorted dried herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, sage & rosemary)
Salt
Black pepper

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a non-stick pan. Use medium-low heat and be careful not to burn it.
2. Pat the dory fillets dry with kitchen towels. For each side, sprinkle salt, black pepper and the assorted herbs. Then, give the fillets a light rub to coat them evenly.
3. When the butter has (mostly) melted, place the fillets carefully in the pan. Cook the fish on medium-low heat, with the pan covered. Cook for five minutes or until the fish has turned from translucent to white.
4. Carefully turn the fish over, and try to coat it with the melted butter. Cover the pan again. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Fish is done when it has turned white, and flakes with a fork.
5. Serve hot with your choice of side dish.
6. Do not discard the melted butter that is still in the pan. Now comes the fun part… (please continue to the side dish recipe below)

Tomato and cottage cheese salad

Ingredients:

2 medium ripe tomatoes (cut into cubes or chunks)
Cottage cheese (crumbled)

Method:

1. Leave the remaining melted butter in the pan, from the fish dish above. It has been infused with herbs and liquid from the fillets.
2. Turn off the fire and take the pan off the stove.
3. Put all the cut tomatoes into the pan and coat evenly with the liquid. The tomatoes will be infused with the herbs and sauce.
4. Scoop out onto the serving dish and sprinkle the crumbled cottage cheese on top.

Cottage cheese might be a bit hard to find, depending on where you are, so you can substitute it with any other soft crumbly cheese, such as ricotta. In Kuala Lumpur, you can buy paneer (Indian cottage cheese) from selected shops in Brickfields and cut them into cubes for this recipe.

The cottage cheese I used in this recipe was freshly made the night before. I made it myself in my own kitchen. 🙂

If you are making the tomato and cottage cheese salad on its own, you can season it with olive oil and basil. Either dried basil or fresh is fine, but fresh basil will give the dish a nice green colour – red, white and green is a nice colour combination and will brighten up any dinner party or picnic lunch.

 

 

 

Pan-fried dory with balsamic vinegar & thyme

I decided to experiment with dory yesterday, and was delighted with the result. Along with the dory fillet, I also prepared a two-ingredient potato side dish and a two-ingredient broccoli side dish. All in all, my dinner took approximately only 30 minutes to prepare.

I wanted to try cooking fish with balsamic vinegar, but at the same time, incorporating another dimension of flavour by adding brown sugar. I was satisfied with the sweet-tart outcome. 🙂

The ingredients can be adjusted to your preferences. You can use fresh thyme to replace the dried variety, if available. If you want a less acidic taste, go easy on the balsamic vinegar. If you want to cut down on sugar, put less brown sugar. You just need a hint of the unique fragrant taste of molasses in the dish. The result is a pan-fried fillet with an attractive brown glaze.

Pan-fried dory with balsamic vinegar and thyme. Served with potato slices with yogurt and buttered broccoli.

Pan-fried dory with balsamic vinegar & thyme
Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 dory fillets (thawed)
A dash or two of balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. of dried thyme
Black pepper
Salt
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method:

1. Heat up some vegetable oil in a non-stick pan.
2. Pat the dory fillets dry with kitchen towels. For each side, sprinkle salt, black pepper and thyme. Then sprinkle the brown sugar on the fish. Give the fillets a rub to coat them evenly. Then splash some balsamic vinegar and rub lightly on both sides.
3. When the oil is hot, place the fillets carefully in the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and cover the pan. Cook for five minutes or until the underside is brown and a crust begins to form. Be careful not to burn the fillets.
4. Carefully turn the fish over. Lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pan again. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Fish is done when it flakes with a fork.
5. Serve hot with steaming hot rice or any side dish of your choice.

Potato slices with yogurt

Ingredients:
2 medium potatoes (peeled and sliced thinly)
4 tbsp. natural unsweetened yogurt
4 tbsp. vegetable oil

Method:

1. Heat up the vegetable oil in a non-stick pan.
2. When the oil is hot, fry the potato slices on medium heat. Spread them in a single layer to ensure even cooking. Then flip them over when the underside is browned. The potatoes are cooked when a spatula or fork breaks them up easily. Scoop onto a plate lined with a kitchen towel to cool. The kitchen towel will absorb the excess oil.
3. Alternatively, a healthier cooking style is to steam the potato slices.
4. Once the cooked potato slices have cooled down completely, mix them with the natural unsweetened yogurt. You can add salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Chill in the fridge till it is time to serve.
6. Sour cream can also be used to replace the yogurt for a creamier finish.
7. For an added zing, you can add a pinch of paprika or cayenne pepper.

 

Buttered broccoli 

Ingredients:
A small head of broccoli (cut into florets)
A tbsp. of butter

Method:

1. Heat up the butter in a non-stick pan on medium-low  heat. Be careful not to burn the butter. Add the broccoli to the pan and coat evenly with the butter. Turn the heat to low. Cover the pan for a minute.
2. Once the broccoli is cooked, it turns into a brighter green.
3. Serve hot with a main dish of your choice.

Succulent and flavourful dory fillet

These recipes are easy to prepare and cook, even after a full work day, and they are healthy too. I hope you will enjoy them as much I did. 🙂

Bon appetit!