Fish

Fish is considered prestigious in the Sephardic kitchen. It is served on Friday night and at the closing Sabbath meal. Thursday-night suppers are often meatless, so fish is also a centerpiece at the table then. For Rosh Hashanah, fish is served with the head on to commemorate the head of the year. The Mediterranean offers abundant varieties of fish, and the recipes for fish are even more abundant. Fish is baked, fried, braised, grilled, and poached. It is topped with tomato sauce or paired with lemon and olives, bathed in spice marinades, or rubbed with spices. It can be stuffed with almonds and bread crumbs and baked. Fish is braised and served with couscous, cut into thick steaks, or ground and rolled into savory fish balls. It may be paired with potatoes. During Passover, crumbled matzoh replaces couscous as an accompaniment. Fish may be served hot or at room temperature, coated in a sesame sauce, or marinated escabeche-style in cumin and lemon. What follows are recipes for some of the best fish dishes I have ever eaten. Even non-fish-lovers will be seduced.