Give Me Five: Greek fish stew

Fish seems to have the reputation of being a little more temperamental than meat. It can be overcooked very easily and it needs more time and attention. However, I’ve found fish to be one of the easiest meal solutions. Fishmongers, including in major supermarkets, are happy to prepare the fish for you. This means no skinning, picking out bones or scraping off scales on a Friday evening.

Fish is fast food and perfect for a relaxed dinner. I’ve been making this dish for years. It was the recipe I chose for my Junior Cert practical exam; I remember my mother trekking up to the city specially for the olives. The beauty of it is that there are so few ingredients. It just needs to be assembled, then placed in the oven to cook. There’s no standing over a hot stove.

Any meaty white fish will do for this dish. Hake and pollock are the more sustainable choices, but cod is perfect too. You could make it more luxurious by adding some prawns or mussels when the dish is almost cooked and steaming them with the lid on. Or you could grate some Parmesan or a strong cheddar over the fish fillets and place the entire pot under the grill to bubble and melt.

Luckily, olives are widely available now, so you can either buy the best, most plump, inky-black Kalamatas or just grab a jar of regular olives in your local shop. Olives in oil are a lot nicer than the watery, brine-soaked version: they have a fuller flavour and are meatier and richer. If the brined ones are all you can lay your hands on, drain them in a sieve and rinse well, then place in a jar with some good olive oil and a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Leave overnight if possible for the little black gems to soak up all the goodness from the oil and flavour from the herbs. Hopefully they will be transformed and ready to complete your fish dish.

Parsley can be used in place of basil here, or the anise-flavoured tarragon is great with the fish and tomatoes. I dried a few sprigs of marjoram during the summer and now find myself crumbling the strong-flavoured leaves into almost every tomato-based dish I make.

Usually when I use tinned tomatoes, I add a pinch of sugar to balance out the acidity, but the basil can often bring enough sweetness. Taste it and judge for yourself. It’s important that the sauce is fully flavoured and seasoned correctly. Good-quality tinned tomatoes are preferable. I often get plum tomatoes, then gently crush them with a potato masher or roughly chop them. They are usually less watery than the chopped tomatoes. During the summer I had great intentions of making the most of our tomato glut and preserving the precious sun-soaked fruits by making purées or pasta sauces. However, they were too delicious to squirrel away and were all eaten straight after picking.

I usually enjoy this dish exactly as is or served with a green salad, or garlic bread for mopping up all the rich sauce. Adding some cooked pasta or butter beans can further bulk out the stew. I like to gently fold the pasta through and let the fish break into large flakes. It’s food to be eaten with a spoon and so nourishing on a cold evening.

GREEK FISH STEW: SERVES 4

The five ingredients

• 180g black olives, pitted
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 4 fillets of white fish such as hake, pollock or cod (skin removed)
• 15g basil

From the store cupboard

• Olive oil

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Heat one tablespoon of oil in an oven-proof pan. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and bring to the boil. Add the olives and half the basil leaves.

Gently place the fish on top of the sauce. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the fish opaque.

Tear the remaining basil leaves and scatter over the surface. Serve immediately.

Every Thursday we’ll tweet the five ingredients from @irishtimeslife so you can have them ready for Friday. Email givemefive@irishtimes.com with your suggestions for recipes.