With the overwhelming bustle and indulgent feasting this season brings, having a tasty, healthful dinner recipe that can be made on a single sheet pan in 20 minutes is like taking a deep, calming breath.
The idea for this one began with my adoration of roasted broccoli and the way, when it is cooked in a hot oven with a light coating of oil, its florets crisp up and take on a lovely char, while the stems cook to a perfect crisp-tender. When making it last, I noticed there was plenty of space left on the sheet pan and thought, why not add a protein and turn a favorite side into a complete meal?
The result is this sumptuous but simple one-pan dinner. I used broccolini for a change of pace, but you could substitute regular broccoli. Once the vegetable gets a five-minute head start in the oven, you add buttery, pale-pink fillets of arctic char (or salmon or snapper) to the pan and a sprinkle of bright green edamame.
While that cooks, you pull together an easy Asian sauce made with soy sauce, orange juice, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic, cooking it down for a few minutes to meld and concentrate those flavors. The sauce is drizzled over the roasted fish and vegetables, tying everything together.
This is a meal you can count on to restore and replenish you not only though the holidays, but any time of year.
Arctic char, broccolini and edamame with soy-ginger sauce
This sheet-pan dinner is healthful, packed with flavor and ready in 20 minutes. Consider it a tasty antidote to a hectic day.
Note: If you can’t find Arctic char, salmon or snapper may be substituted.
2 heads (12 ounces) broccolini, trimmed
3 tablespoons canola oil
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (5- to 6-ounce), skin-on Arctic char fillets (see headnote)
1 cup frozen, shelled edamame
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
11⁄2 teaspoons peeled, grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Toss the broccolini with 11⁄2 tablespoons of the oil and season with 1⁄8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, right on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast on the upper rack for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, pat the fillets dry, then brush them with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with the remaining 1⁄8 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
Toss the edamame in a medium bowl with the remaining 1⁄2 tablespoon of oil.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven; use a spatula to toss and rearrange the broccolini so that there is room at the center of the baking sheet for the fish. Scatter the edamame on top of the broccolini. Place the fillets, skin sides down, in the center of the baking sheet. Return to the oven and roast on the upper rack for 8 to 10 minutes, until the arctic char is no longer translucent and the broccolini is crisp-tender and charred a bit.
While the fish is cooking, combine the orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the mixture has slightly reduced.
Drizzle the fish and vegetables with the sauce, and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition per serving: 410 calories, 37 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrates, 22 grams fat, 6 grams saturated fat, 40 milligrams cholesterol, 560 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 3 grams sugar.
