Flicks & Food With The Domestic Diva: HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON Pacific Rockfish With Tomatoes, Capers And Garlic

My beloved GeekWeekers, I'm back with another Flicks And Food column.  This week, I'm taking on my favorite movie of the year (so far) and bringing you a meal fit for a dragon!  That's right--HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON is the best movie I've seen since... well, AVATAR I guess. 

Were you expecting something more sophisticated?

This movie Rocks with a capital "R"!  And it's not just because I consider myself a grown-up child.  This movie has a great story (gasp!) and it's actually well-written (gasp again!), two things that most movies seem to be lacking these days.  I mean, is it me or are movies getting steadily crappier every year?  Also, the 3D animation both looks amazing and compliments the story.  To say I LOVED this movie isn't enough--I'm going to see it again in the theater and already plan to buy the DVD.  That's how much I loved it. 

So why hasn't it done particularly well, despite being the third highest rated movie on Metacritic (after Oscar nominees AVATAR and UP IN THE AIR)?  I think it's 1) the title sucks and 2) the advertisements made it seem more jokey rather than amazing.  Before I saw it, I couldn't remember the actual title to save my life (I was running around the Arclight calling it "that dragon movie" like an over-stimulated three year old). 

So this is my personal campaign--go see this awesome movie! 

And here's my recipe fit for a dragon.  Spoiler alert: dragons eat fish!  Who knew these sensitive creatures were pescatarians?  So this recipe for Pacific Rockfish With Tomatoes, Capers And Garlic is inspired by Toothless, the dragon in the movie.  Not only is it a delicious way to prepare fish and healthy as can be, it's also super freaking easy!  So give it a shot and don't forget to see the dragon movie!

Pan-Roasted Pacific Rockfish With Fresh Tomatoes, Capers And Garlic
Serves 2 people
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
2 4 ounce Pacific Rockfish or Red Snapper fillets
2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon capers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or fresh basil
salt and pepper

Directions
To cook the fish, rinse the fillets with cool water and pat dry.  Then, sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper.  Heat the grapeseed or canola oil in a saute pan over high heat until almost smoking.  Add the fillets and quickly cook on each side, until cooked through.  Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, garlic, capers, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl and toss to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, place a piece of fish on a plate and top with a heaping portion of the tomato-caper-garlic mixture.  Enjoy!

Wine Pairing
For this dish, I'd recommend a crisp, citrusy California chardonnay, such as Windy Oaks.  Or, if red wine suits your tastes, try a Burgundian-style California Pinot Noir from a producer like Windy Oaks or Anthill Farms.

About the Author
JENNIFER DAWN ROGERS … A graduate of Harvard University and a former film development executive, Jennifer cooks and writes in Los Angeles. In 2009, she launched her blog Domestic Divas (www.domesticdivasblog.com), which focuses on local, organic cooking, restaurant and wine reviews.  She is currently writing her first novel.