BAKED FLOUNDER OREGANATA WITH TOMATO, CAPERS & FENNEL SAUCE

BAKED FLOUNDER OREGANATA WITH TOMATO, CAPERS & FENNEL SAUCE image

Yield 3-4 people

Number Of Ingredients 24

For sauce:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb (sometimes called anise)
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
12 plum tomatoes diced including juice or 1 14oz can of plum tomatos diced with juice)
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
For flounder:
3/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano cheese
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
6 (6-oz) pieces skinless flounder or sole fillet
2 tablespoons dry white wine
6 slices mozzarella cheese
1 lb angel hair pasta

Steps:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Make sauce: Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion and fennel, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, wine, and tomato paste and simmer briskly until liquid is reduced by one third, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers, salt, pepper, basil and parsley then transfer half of the sauce to a 2-quart gratin dish or other wide shallow baking dish. Prepare flounder: Stir together bread crumbs, salt, pepper, parmesean cheese and oregano with a fork until combined. Season flounder with salt and pepper, then coat flounder with bread crumb mixture and roll into a cylinder and arrange, seam side down, on top of sauce. Drizzle wine carefully around fish into sauce (not over fish), drizzle olive oil over fish and place mozzarella cheese on top of rolled fish and bake in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve fish over angel hair pasta and spoon reserve sauce over fish. Garnish with grated parmigiano-reggiano or pecorino romano cheese and fresh parsley.