Think of this as a simpler take on paella. It’s Eastern European in origin, so it was often made with freshwater fish, but you can use any fillets you want. With a salad, this is a wonderful—and very fast—one-pot meal. If you’re using water instead of stock, you might augment its flavor slightly by simmering it for 15 minutes with a carrot, an onion, and a celery stalk, along with a few peppercorns, a garlic clove, a bay leaf, and a teaspoon of vinegar; strain before proceeding. If you don’t have time for this, that’s fine too—the dish will still be good, even if you just use water.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 1/2 cups fish or chicken stock, preferably homemade (page 161 or 160), or water (see headnote)

　　1 1/2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained

　　1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, cored, chopped, and mashed (with their juices), or 1 cup canned chopped tomatoes with their juices

　　3 tablespoons butter, melted

　　1/4 cup Madeira, sweet sherry, or white wine

　　1 to 1 1/2 pounds fillets of catfish, perch, bass, or other freshwater fish or fillets of red snapper, sea bass, halibut, or other firm white saltwater fish, cut into bite-sized pieces

　　

Step 1

Bring the fish stock to a gentle boil in a medium saucepan or wide skillet with a lid, preferably nonstick. Add the rice and bring to a boil; turn the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the water is nearly absorbed and the rice nearly tender.

　　

Step 2

Turn the heat to low and stir in the tomatoes with their juices, the butter, and the Madeira. Gently fold in the fish pieces, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes, or until the fish is cooked and heated through. Serve hot.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.