Baked Fish Creole-style Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp butter, plus extra for greasing
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 red (bell) pepper, seeded, halved and sliced
1 green (bell) pepper, seeded, halved and sliced
400g canned tomatoes with basil - chopped
1 tbsp tomato purée (paste)
2 tbsp capers, drained and chopped
4 drops Tabasco sauce
4 tail end pieces cod or haddock fillets (about I 75gram each), skinned
6 basil leaves, shredded
3 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
¼ cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and ground black pepper
Fresh basil sprigs, to garnish


Cooking instructions:

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Heat the oil and half of the buffer in a pan over low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened for about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, peppers, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, capers and Tabasco. Season it to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, then uncover and simmer gently for 5 minutes to reduce slightly.

Grease an ovenproof dish, place the fish fillets in it, dot with the remaining buffer and season lightly. Spoon the tomato and pepper sauce over the top and sprinkle with the shredded basil. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley in a bowl. Remove the fish from the oven and sprinkle the cheese mixture over the top. Return to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes more. Let the fish stand for about a minute, then, using a fish slice or spatula, carefully transfer each topped fillet to warmed plates. Garnish with sprigs of fresh basil and serve immediately.