Active Time

　　40 min

　　Total Time

　　1 hr (plus 1 day for marinating)

　　Your market basket loaded with produce, olive oil, and fish, you saunter home to your idyllic farmhouse and marinate the vegetables. The following evening, you invite your friends over. Berets optional.

　　

Ingredients

For marinated vegetables:

1 ripe medium tomato

　　1 garlic clove, smashed

　　4 basil leaves

　　1 fresh thyme sprig

　　6 green olives, such as picholine, pitted and chopped

　　12 Niçoise olives, pitted and chopped

　　1 tablespoon drained capers

　　1 celery rib, peeled and diced

　　1/2 small fennel bulb, stalks discarded and bulb diced

　　1 small zucchini, diced

　　1 red bell pepper, diced

　　1 green bell pepper, diced

　　1 small onion, diced

　　About 2 cups extra-virgin olive oil, divided

　　1 pinch saffron, crumbled

　　1 lemon, peel and pith cut off and lemon quartered and diced

　　

For fish:

6 (6-oz) pieces sea bass or striped bass fillet with skin, small bones removed

　　1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

　　Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling

　　1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives

　　Coarse sea salt to taste

　　

Marinate vegetables:

Step 1

Core tomato and cut a shallow X in bottom, then blanch in boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking. Keep water at a boil.

　　

Step 2

Lift out tomato (reserve ice bath), then peel, seed, and dice. Put in a bowl with garlic, basil, thyme, olives, and capers.

　　

Step 3

Blanch celery, fennel, and zucchini in boiling water 30 seconds, then drain and transfer to ice bath. When vegetables are chilled, drain and stir into tomato mixture.

　　

Step 4

Cook bell peppers and onion in 2 tablespoons oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature, then stir into vegetables along with saffron and enough remaining oil to cover (about 2 cups). Marinate, covered and chilled, 24 hours.

　　

Prepare fish:

Step 5

Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in middle.

　　

Step 6

Put fish, skin side up, in a shallow baking pan and pat dry. Sprinkle with sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, then drizzle with a little oil. Roast fish until just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.

　　

Step 7

Meanwhile, gently warm half of vegetable mixture and stir in lemon. Serve fish topped with vegetables and sprinkled with chives and coarse sea salt.

　　Cooks' note:

　　Leftover vegetables can be chilled up to 3 days and served over pasta or salad or with eggs.