A childhood memory

I always forget about fish dishes because my daughter has just never liked fish. I grew up on fish, having been reared in a seaport. When you grow up on the coast, fish is cheap, fresh and plentiful. When we moved to the midwest, it took years to assimilate the fact that fish was now difficult to obtain, and was neither fresh nor cheap. By the time I made it to another port, a fresh-water one this time, freshwater fish was either so endangered, or so full of pollutants that I was reluctant to feed it to the kids anyway.

But every now and then I want that childhood taste. This baked fish is one that my mother made regularly. I suppose it's probably a Greek recipe; I haven't actually looked for it in the Greek cook book. This can be made with any light non-oily ocean fish, like flounder or sole.

I never did get my daughter to try this dish, but I have to say, both the kids were pretty good with most of the stuff I made.

Baked fish with vegetables
1 lb. fresh fish filets (about 8 to 10 sole filets)

4 stalks of celery, a small bok choy or a small fennel bulb, sliced very thin
1/2 red pepper
1 medium onion
2 small tomatoes
sea salt, black pepper, dried parsley

Saute the vegetables in olive oil until limp. Place half the fish in a 9x12 glass baking dish. Season with salt, pepper and parsley, distribute half the vegetables over this. Layer with the rest of the filets, season the layer, and layer the remaining vegetables. Slice the tomatoes into thinnish discs, place on top. Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350/175 for about 30 minutes, or until the fish is flaky and white. Serve with white or biryani rice.

It's been so long since I made this. I had really forgotten how delicious this is.