SOMETHING DELICIOUS

Time- and money-strapped? Alison Roman creates culinary miracles from simple pantry staples

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Tomato-poached f ish with crispy chilli oil

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

60ml olive oil, plus more for drizzling

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 small shallot, thinly sliced into rings

1 tsp chilli flakes

450g cherry tomatoes, halved (or

400g tin whole, peeled tomatoes, drained, then crushed by hand)

Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp fi sh sauce

4 skinless fi sh fi llets, cut into 4 equal

pieces 1 handful of coriander, tender leaves and stems

Limes or lemons, halved, for serving (optional)

1 Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook, swirling the skillet constantly, until they start to toast and turn light golden brown, 2 minutes or so. Add the chilli flakes and swirl to toast for a few seconds. Remove from the heat and transfer the crispy garlic, shallots and all but 1 tablespoon of the oil to a small bowl (the garlic and shallots can sit in the oil - that’s fine).

2 Add the tomatoes to the skillet (if using tinned tomatoes, add them) and season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until they burst and start to become saucy and jammy, 5-8 minutes. (Give tinned tomatoes closer to 10-12 minutes to take the tinned edge off.) Add the fish sauce and 1½ cups water, swirling to release any of the bits stuck on the bottom of the skillet.

3 Cook until the sauce is slightly thickened but still nice and brothy, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

4 Season the fish with salt and pepper and gently lay the pieces in the brothy tomatoes. Cover the skillet (if your skillet has a lid, use that - if not, use a baking tray) and cook until the fish is opaque and just cooked through, 4-6 minutes (slightly longer for a thicker piece of fish).