Once again, Alaska triumphs at the table

Here's the recipe for Basque-Style White Fish, adapted from the excellent "French Farm House Cookbook" by Susan Herrmann Loomis. Loomis says it works with filet of cod, halibut, tilapia or any other firm-fleshed white fish.

INGREDIENTS:'

2 lbs. boneless fish fillets
2 tbsp olive oil
4 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and diced
2 leeks -- the white part, and two inches of the green part, washed well and diced (we couldn't find leeks in the market, so we used four entire green onions from our garden, chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 to 12 ounces canned plum tomatoes, chopped or diced
Cayenne pepper

1. Rinse the fish, pat dry, refrigerate until just before cooking.

2. Over medium heat, warm the oil, then add the peppers, leeks, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until onions soften, about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on it, and stir often, to prevent sticking. Stir in the tomatoes, cover, and cook until the vegetables are almost all dissolved, about 30 minutes. Don't forget to stir it occasionally to prevent sticking.

3. When the vegetables are done, remove from skillet, puree in a blender or food processor, then return to skillet. (We have a hand blender, which allowed up to puree the stuff in the skillet.) Taste it again for salt and pepper, adding if necessary. At this point, add the cayenne to taste. Loomis says it should have a bite to it, but not be too hot.

4. LIghtly salt the fish, then add it to the sauce on the stove. make sure to push the pieces down until they are at least half covered. Cover and cook just until the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes (thinner filets will cook more quickly).

5. Taste the sauce once more for seasoning, then serve. We had it with hot French bread to sop up the delicious sauce, but fresh white rice would go well too.