Fish in Tomato Marinade

Ingredients

Fish

• 1½ pounds of whitefish fillets with skin left on, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup of flour
• ½ cup of vegetable oil

Sauce

• ¾ cup of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 3 teaspoon of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of powdered cloves
• 2 cups of coarsely chopped onions
• ¾ cup of tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf, coarsely crumble
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

1. Sprinkle a tablespoon of salt and a few grindings of pepper on the fish. Now coat it well with flour and vigorously remove any excess flour.
2. Now heat up oil in a heavy 10 to 12 inch skillet until a light haze forms above it.
3. Add some pieces of fish, lower the heat to moderate and brown them 3 to 5 minutes of each side.
4. Transfer the browned fish on double thickness of paper towels. Repeat this with all the fish.
5. Pour ⅓ of the marinade into a shallow 2-quart enameled, baking dish and arrange half the fish in it in one layer.
6. Moisten the fish with ⅓ more of the marinade and arrange the remaining fish in another layer on top.
7. Pour in the remaining marinade and let the fish marinade uncovered and unrefrigerated for at least 6 hours.
8. Now refrigerate, tightly covered with plastic wrap, for at least 24 hours before serving.

Sauce

1. In a heavy 10- to 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat until a light haze forms above it.
2. Drop in the onions, reduce the heat to moderate and, stirring frequently, cook for few minutes until the onions are soft but not brown.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns and salt and bring to a boil.
4. Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer undisturbed for about 15 minutes. Then remove from heat and cool the marinade to lukewarm.