---

Introduction

I’m waiting for the subway at 12:36 am after my coworker’s Passover Seder where only 1.5 out of the 15 attendees were Jewish (the host’s husband recently converted). My first Seder was several years back, when I was dating the German. She went to high school at the English language school in Munich, which was apparently quite prestigious. All her closest friends were Jewish, and many of them found themselves in New York in the second half of their twenties. The proceedings of the Seder were in German and Hebrew, so I didn’t really follow. Afterwards we drank wine and listened to J. Cole.

The train finally arrives. Two doors open: on one, a gruff man with a bicycle flipped over and a wrench, performing repairs beside an open 40oz of malt liquor. On the other, a seemingly bland group of normal looking people. My fiancée pulls me towards the second car, as I eye what exactly the guy is doing to his bicycle. As it turns out, the group of people we sit next to are all French and reek of cigarette smoke, which makes her nauseous.

Ingredients

• Big fillets of a hearty white fish, like cod, halibut, or mahi mahi.
• Shallots
• Garlic
• Red chili flakes
• Campari tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Cilantro
• Mint
• Hearty bread

Instructions

1. Peel and thinly slice garlic and shallots. Slice the Campari tomatoes in half (but leave the cherry tomatoes whole).
2. Fully cover the bottom of a large pan with olive oil. Sautee garlic and shallots on medium-low, stirring constantly, until crispy and golden brown. Sprinkle in chili flakes part way through. At the end, the moment from brown to black happens really fast! Set aside for later.
   1. The crispy toppings are always in high demand—make more than you think you’ll need!
   2. It’s easier to get them just the right crispiness when the burner isn’t too high.
3. In the same pan, add the tomatoes, salt, and black pepper, and just a splash of fish sauce. Cook until the tomatoes start to form a sauce. The tomatoes cook down a lot—make sure to buy enough! Optionally add a bit of water, if there isn’t much liquid.
4. Chop cilantro and mint. Toast the bread in the oven.
5. Season both sides of each piece of fish with salt and pepper. Add the cherry tomatoes to the pot. Lay the fish in the tomato broth and cover. Cook 4-6 minutes until the fish is opaque. If cooking a lot of fish, you may need to cook it in batches.
6. Transfer fish to large serving tray. Pour the broth onto the tray. Garnish with chile oil and crispy garlic and tons of cilantro and mint. Serve with lime wedges and the extra chile oil with crispy garlic.

Inspired by Alison Roman’s Poached Fish with Chile Oil and Herbs.