frozen fish + toaster oven = EASY

a.k.a cooking doesn't have to be a whole thing

I am so delighted to tell you about the lunch I made for myself one day last week.

The bottom of the bowl is a mixture of rice, spinach + chickpeas that I made according to my one pot rice meal formula (see below). I had made it early in the week and then kept reheating leftovers as the week went by.

a formula for a one pot rice meal

On top of the rice is really what I came here to tell you about today. It’s some white fish from my freezer (I didn’t even defrost it!) that I cooked in my toaster oven. I made a little aluminum foil package for it and threw in some almost-overripe cherry tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and a generous sprinkle of Illyanna Maisonet’s Sazón from Burlap & Barrel (it’s currently sold out, but I highly recommend getting on their email list for when it’s back in stock because it’s SO GOOD / it contains garlic powder, wild achiote, cumin, turmeric, and coriander).

I didn’t have to chop a thing (I left the tomatoes whole) and I didn’t have to clean anything up, either. It cooked for about 20 minutes, which was enough time for me to putz around my kitchen sorting through old mail and the like. In other words, it was 20 minutes that didn’t require my attention.

When the fish was done, I heated up the rice mixture in the microwave, put the fish + tomatoes and the delicious cooking juices that came with them on top of the rice, and then I sat down and had the most satisfying, delicious meal in the middle of the day on a weekday. I felt like I was at a restaurant but it was even better because I was at home!

I think this toaster oven method is such an easy, hands-off way to cook fish which is great to know because fish can feel intimidating for some folks, plus it’s way more affordable to eat at home than out at a restaurant. I particularly love this method because:

• you can use frozen fish, straight from the freezer! no need to defrost, just unwrap it and run the fish under a little running water to get rid of the thin layer of ice on the fish fillets + pat dry with a paper towel

  • if you do defrost or use fresh fish, this will cook EVEN FASTER!

• foil packet = no cleanup

• foil packet = hard to overcook the fish!

• foil packet = wonderful opportunity to create + collect cooking juices

• the toaster oven heats up faster than my regular oven

• the toaster oven uses less energy than my regular oven

  • you can also do this in an air fryer! I’m surprised I didn’t!

• infinitely adaptable — you can play around with spices and vegetables in the foil packet!

Here’s how to make it + some ideas for flavor combos:

Here’s what the fish looks like when it’s all done and you open up your foil package:

How do you know when it’s done? The fish should flake apart easily when you push it with a fork (or any utensil). It will take about 20 - 30 minutes but the time depends entirely on the thickness of your fish. Start checking around the 15 minute mark + don’t worry if it needs more than 30 minutes. It takes the time it takes! It’s fine! If you have fresh fish or have defrosted your frozen fish, it will take even less time! Start checking around 10 minutes…

Got any questions or more fish ideas or toaster oven ideas? Let me know in the comments (comments are only available for paid subscribers).

Speaking of making restaurant-quality food at home, my class this coming Sunday afternoon is going to be such a fun one!!

Here’s the official description:

The best reservation is at your house! Join me to make this wonderful meal worthy of any restaurant. We’ll start with cosmos (a cocktail I unabashedly love), a wonderful steak salad with a garlicky dressing and tons of juicy tomatoes + cheese, and finish with classic profiteroles — a lesson in making choux pastry which can be SO MANY OTHER THINGS! As always, I’ll answer any questions you have and we’ll share tons of tips + tricks.

»»»»»» MORE INFO + SIGNUP RIGHT HERE ««««««

Hope to see you there! As always if you want to attend this or any of my classes and $ is a barrier, just drop a line and we’ll get you sorted.

Thanks for being here. xooxoxoxoxo