Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text are from Dana Slatkin's bookThe Summertime Anytime Cookbook.
With an appealing assortment of textures and flavors, this simple yet unexpected whitefish preparation will enhance any evening. In case you're not familiar with kohlrabi, it's part cabbage, part root; looks like a small, light green (or sometimes purple) turnip; and tastes like a cross between celery root and broccoli stem. This dish is flexible enough that you can substitute any mild fish, such as halibut, red snapper, or John Dory, or swap the kohlrabi for broccoli or cauliflower.
Ingredients
Prepare the compote:
Step 1
In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat and add the shallots and garlic. Cover and cook the mixture until it is soft. Add the tomatoes, reduce the heat, and continue cooking uncovered until thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and sugar. Stir in the chopped basil and thyme. The compote will be thick, like tomato jam.
Step 2
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, with a vegetable peeler, peel off the skin of the kohlrabi and discard; cut each kohlrabi into 1/2-inch wedges. Cook in the boiling water until the tip of a knife pierces through easily, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Step 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 4
Pat the whitefish fillets dry and season generously with salt and pepper. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the grapeseed oil over medium-high until almost smoking. Add the fish and cook on both sides until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side. If necessary to finish cooking the fish, transfer the skillet to the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the fish is slightly firm to the touch.
Step 5
While the fish is cooking, heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in a sauté pan and cook the kohlrabi and corn to heat through, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Place the vegetables in the middle of warmed serving plates. Transfer the whitefish from the oven to the center of each plate, spoon a little compote over each fillet, and serve.
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Reviews (9)
Back to TopI am not excited about a recipe that requires three pans, actually 4 if you count the one to boil the Kohlrabi. However I had fresh snapper and most everything else so gave it a stab. Despite going to two stores alas no Kohlrabi. So I used 1/2 head sliced red cabbage and it turned out great. There is a lot of prep work but if you have a really fresh fish, this is good for a weekend or special occasion. It is low fat a very healthy. A word of caution, unless you have a really thick piece of fish, like one inch thick or more, do not finish in the oven. A few minutes on each side is more than enough.
phmokda
St. Petersburg, Florida
4/14/2019
方便和美味!我ad two fresh halibut steaks, a kohlrabi, and fresh tomatoes. I had already made a salsa with Mexican chiles and the tomatoes, so just added a bit more onion and garlic (freeze-dried) and cooked that down a bit to the compote consistency. I only needed about 2/3 cup for 2 servings. Chopped one medium kohlrabi and threw in about 3/4 cup of frozen corn kernels, let them cook together under the K- was tender. Did the halibut steaks as the recipe describes, and they came out terrific- moist and cooked, but not over-cooked. I did toss the veggies in the pan after the fish were cooked but didn't get much extra flavor. However, the total dish was delicious, and fast.
jbscanlan
Vancouver
7/1/2014
This recipe was great! Not sure what the cobs were supposed to be used for... I almost threw them in the water with the kohlrabi but then got lazy and just composted them. We used tilapia instead of whitefish bc it was $4 frozen at whole foods (?!!) and sauteed the kohlrabi greens for the side. The tomato compote came out perfectly sweet and the kohlrabi balanced the sweetness nicely. We also put some chopped chives on top for extra flavor and used lemon-infused olive oil instead of the grapeseed oil. Will definitely make again!
waterspider10
New Orleans
11/19/2012
Like many of the others I was was looking for a use for the beautiful purple kohlrabi in my CSA this week. No whitefish at the market, so substituted Hake with great success. It just seemed to sad to peel away the beautiful purple!!! Also what were the cobs to be reserved for??? Anyway we loved the combo of the compote, veggies and fish, it was worth the 4 pans required to make the meal!!
Einer2
Hilliard, OH
7/19/2011
totally yummy. I had to use cod but otherwise made exactly as written to delicious results. Now I look forward to extra kohlrabi in the csa shipment as I know just what to do with it (and the recipe is quick and easy besides)Make sure you season the fish 'generously' as described. But really, it's all about the tomato compote...
Anonymous
New Hampshire
11/14/2010
I agree with previous reviewers that this is restaurant quality. I received kohlrabi in my CSA box and had no idea how to serve it. The flavors were phenomenal. I will definitely be making this again.
Anonymous
Chicago
7/14/2010
I was quite excited to try this recipe after reading the reviews. We had some kohlrabi in the garden that was begging to be used and this being tomato season, we had everything we needed (but the fish). I used halibut as suggested in the recipe as an alternative to white fish, otherwise, I changed nothing and followed the recipe exactly. While I found the compote to be tasty, I found the composed dish itself to be rather bland and boring. It was easy to make so props for that, but otherwise, not sure what all the raves were about.
dumoyer
Sherwood Ore
8/27/2009
This was a restaurant presentation and quality meal. I made some substitutions - used a salmon fillet, canned plum tomatoes instead of fresh, used frozen corn, and used garlic, garlic scapes, and onions instead of shallots, and cut the recipe in half. It was really tasty and the leftovers were good too.
Anonymous
New York, NY
7/7/2009
Delicious, easy and very tasty! This is a recipe that would get rave reviews from company because it seems so 'restauranty'! I used flounder- it was what was fresh at the store today- be sure to salt and pepper liberally at each step- YUM!!
vinogirl
Pleasantville, PA
6/28/2009
