come see kumquat you're missing
Baked white fish can be either really bland or really life-changing. In order to make it life-changing, though, you need a good sauce. An accompaniment that knocks your socks off and leaves you wanting more and more. Well, guess what? I think I’ve found the secret ingredient to make your run-of-the mill baked white fish dish to the highest level of incredible. Kumquats.
Kum-WHAT, you ask? These explosive orange fruits are little balls of tart sweetness that truly lend themselves to a game-changing dish. Melded into a thick, sweet sauce, these fruits top a basic baked haddock like you wouldn’t believe. Serve it over a bed of lentils, and I promise you’ll be begging for more.
⟶ the recipe
baked haddock with kumquat sauce
ingredients
1 ½ pounds of fresh haddock
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons melted butter (or olive oil)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 lemon, sliced
For the kumquat sauce
2 tablespoons honey
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 oranges, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon butter
10-15 kumquats, thinly sliced
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
20 minutes
Total time
30 minutes
4 servings
instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After washing, pat the haddock filets dry and season with salt and pepper, rubbing it into the meat.
Rub some softened butter or drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a baking dish. Place haddock filets in the dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, lemon juice, and garlic cloves. Pour the mixture over the haddock filets so they’re fully covered. Place lemon slices on top of the filets.
Bake haddock for about 15 minutes, or until fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
While the haddock is baking, make the kumquat sauce. Place honey in a small saucepan over medium heat until it’s become runny. Reduce heat to low, and add the vinegar and orange juice. Stir to combine. Simmer on low for about 10 minutes, until liquid has reduced by about half. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Add the kumquats, and bring the liquid back to a low simmer. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the kumquat slices have softened and the liquid looks nice and viscous.
Remove kumquat sauce from the heat and drizzle over the haddock to serve.
⟶ recipe notes
- I didn’t have this exact dish, but I ordered a fish at a restaurant recently that had a type of kumquat sauce. I had never seen that before at a restaurant and was shocked at how cool it was! So from that moment, I was set on making my own version of that recipe…
⟶ modifications
- You can try another type of flaky white fish with this dish as well. Sea bass, grouper, or snapper all work great if you can find them fresh
⟶ make it ahead
- You can make the kumquat sauce ahead of time. Just store it in the fridge until ready to use, for up to 3 days. Reheat it on the stove for about 5 minutes, or until sauce is hot and runny enough to pour over the fish
