Roast whole fish with potatoes & zucchini

Expectations:

This is great weeknight meal that is satisfying, even and very fast to prepare (10 minutes) with most of the cooking time happening unattended. I often pair this with cous cous or another fast weeknight grain (i.e. quinoa) and for your kids, if they’re not fans of fish you can still pair the warm potatoes and zucchini with a grain or other sides.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 whole fish depending on size (cleaned, scaled, head & tail on)

Handful of cilantro

1 lemon, cut into rounds (seeds removed)

1 scallion (spring onion), cleaned and cut into 2 inch pieces.

1 Russet potato (cleaned and cut into small – i.e. ½ inch cubes)

1 zucchini, cut into small ½ inch cubes or pieces.

Steps to put this on your table:

1. Spray a roasting pan with oil (i.e. I use coconut oil spray, but any vegetable oil is file). Place the potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan, drizzle with about ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, salt pepper to taste and then place into the oven.
2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Note: like to start the potatoes before the fish, because in my experience the fish takes less time (often 20 minutes) depending on size.
3. While the potatoes are warming up in the oven, prepare the fish by generously salting & applying fresh ground pepper to the outside of the fish (to taste). Gently place the lemon, scallion pieces and cilantro into the cavity (it’s okay if the herbs don’t fit fully into the cavity).
4. Remove the pan with the (partially cooked) potatoes from the oven and place the fish onto the warm potatoes. Return to the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes to check the fish for doneness.
5. While that fish is cooking, make sure the zucchini is ready to roll.
6. Check the fish for doneness when the timer goes off (20 minutes) if it flakes easily with a fork remove the fish from the oven and put onto a plate or cutting board (can tent with a dish or foil to keep warm). If it’s not quite ready, keep it in the pan and remove during the next step after the zucchini has cooked.
7. Place the zucchini pieces on top of the potatoes. Stir the potatoes to keep them from getting too brown and set the timer for another 3 minutes.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and put in a bowl to keep warm, cover with a plate until you’re ready to serve.

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