Skillet Sea Bass, Olives, and Feta
Canned tomatoes, brined olives, and a pouch of fish, steamed together in one pan over the fire.
- calories
- 340
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 49
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Canister stove
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | plus a little to finish |
|---|---|---|
| Dried sliced onion | 1/3 cup | or one small fresh onion if the cooler has room |
| Canned whole tomatoes | 1 can, 14.5 oz | break them up with the spoon, keep every drop of juice |
| Pitted kalamata olives | 6 tbsp | quartered, drained; pouched olives beat a jar |
| Feta | 6 tbsp | crumbled, in a sealed tub in the cooler |
| Dried dill | 1 tbsp | stands in for 3 tbsp fresh |
| Lemon juice | 2 tbsp | bottled is fine |
| Dried lemon peel | 1 tbsp | |
| Sea bass or other firm white fish | 10 oz | vacuum pouch or canned, drained, broken into 2-inch pieces |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Set the skillet over a bed of coals or a low burner. Heat the oil and add the dried onion. Let it soften and take some color, about 7 minutes. It will drink the oil, so add a splash if the pan goes dry.
- Pour in the tomatoes and their juice. Crush them against the side of the pan and cook until the liquid pulls back and thickens, 5 or 6 minutes.
- Stir in half the olives, half the feta, half the dill, the lemon juice, and half the lemon peel. Two minutes, just to warm through. Salt and pepper.
- Lay the fish on top of the sauce. Cover the pan with a lid or foil and leave it alone for 5 minutes. Pouched fish is already cooked, so this is only about heating it without stirring it into mush.
- Scatter the rest of the olives, feta, dill, and lemon peel over the top. Drizzle with oil and take it off the heat.
Cast iron and canned tomatoes do most of the work here. The tomato juice is the only liquid in the pan, which means you carry no extra water and the sauce reduces into something that clings instead of pooling. Dried onion, dill, and lemon peel replace the fresh versions one for one in flavor and roughly nothing in weight.
The fish is pouched or canned rather than fresh, so the covered five minutes at the end is reheating, not cooking. Pull it early if you are unsure. Half the olives and feta go in at the end on purpose: cooked feta melts into the sauce and disappears, and the raw half is what you actually taste.
Packing
Dried onion, dill, and lemon peel go in one small jar at home. The can, the fish pouch, and the olive pouch are ambient. Only the feta and the oil bottle need the cooler, and the oil only so it does not leak into everything.
Variations
- Swap the fish for a can of chickpeas, drained, and stir them in with the tomatoes instead of steaming on top.
- A handful of instant couscous stirred in at the end soaks up the sauce, but it drops the gluten-free claim.
- Cook it in a foil packet on the grate if you would rather not scrub a skillet.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/mediterranean-sea-bass