I love fish, but I like to try new flavors whenever I can. I tend to steer away from simmering anything in straight tomato sauce so this sauce is a great alternative when you want to incorporate some freshness into a dish but not overpower what you are cooking.  I love artichokes, love them! Whenever I find a new way to use them, the flavor always pays off. This light fish, with the tomato wine reduction and artichoke is a winner. It reminds me of a Greek bruchetta tapenade with a hint of lemon to bring it all together. Served with fresh sauteed asparagus and garlic.

You will need:

• 5 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup of flour
• 4 Tilapia filets (6-8oz. each), or other whit fillets, like Cod or Mahi
• 1/2 Cup of diced red onion
• 1 Cup tomatoes seeds removed and diced
• 2 cloves of minced garlic
• 1 6oz jar of marinated artichoke hearts
• 1 cup of dry white wine, such as Chardonnay (optional)
• 1/4 of a lemon squeezed
• 2 Tbs of butter
• 1/4 Cup of fresh dill roughly chopped
• salt and pepper

***Optional 1 bunch of fresh asparagus , 2 garlic cloves minced and a squeeze of lemon and 2Tbs of olive oil to saute.

Fist thing, lets prep the veggies and get the flour coating ready. On a plate mix the flour, salt and pepper and set aside.

Take tomatoes and slice in quarters, de-seed and dice. To de-seed simply cut the middle away from the quarter.

Take the tomatoes and put into a med. size bowl and squeeze 1/4 of a lemon right onto the tomatoes. The lemon gives this dish a wonderful brightness so try not to skip this step.

Drain the marinated artichoke hearts and roughly chop that long with the fresh dill. Dice the onion and garlic into small pieces.

Get out the fish fillets and rinse under cold water. Lay each onto the plate of flour, making sure to cover each side. You don;t need egg, or a milk wash, rinsing them with water works just fine with the flour and keeps this dish nice and light.

Heat 3Tbs olive oil and a pat of butter in a large pan over medium heat.

Place coated fish in the pan, laying them away from you so you don’t splatter and burn yourself.  Cook each side about 4 minutes until golden brown.

When your fish is nice and golden on both sides, take each piece. of fish and add to a plate covered with a paper towel to soak up an excess oil.  You can cover the plate with foil to keep warm while you make the topping for the fish.

Add 2 Tbs of olive oil to a medium sized pan pan along with onions and garlic and cook until onions are nice and toasty looking but not burnt.

Add the diced  tomato and artichoke and stir well, letting the flavors simmer together for about 2minutes.

Add the white wine to the pan, any quality white wine you would normally drink. Better take a sip to make sure it’s good! RIGHT?

Simmer until liquid is reduced by at least half, leaving you with a nice rich sauce.

Add in the fresh dill.

While this is simmering for about 5 to 10 minutes on a low simmer, is when I started my asparagus in the pan. I added 2 Tbs of olive oil, 2 cloves of minced garlic and the asparagus. Add about 1/4 cup of water to steam when the pan is hot. When the asparagus is bright green it is done. Nice and crisp but not limpy.When the sauce is nice and rich you are done. Place fillets on serving plates and spoon on sauce generously. I served mine over over a nice yellow rice. This dish was amazing, I could not have asked for anything better in my favorite restaurant. The lightness of the fish pairs beautifully with this rich but light fresh sauce or tapenade. A must try.