oven roasted tomato magic!

two weeks ago we were talking about being in the thick of the tomato season and how we’re using them for all kinds of things every day. well here’s another great use for these late summer gems- oven roasting! oven roasting just about any vegetable will heighten the flavors, condensing the natural sweetness and tomatoes are no exception. i usually use plum tomatoes because they are generally better for sauce and work well for the sauces we make for fish and shellfish. roast along with cloves of garlic, sweet and or hot peppers, sliced onion, some thyme sprigs or rosemary, maybe a couple anchovies and just let the flavors explode! top a pizza, chop and sprinkle over a salad, use for bruschetta, toss over pasta or make an intense sauce (like we’re doing with grilled spanish mackerel in today’s recipe).

this sauce is loaded with flavor; a little will go a long way. we served it hot with this dish but it’s also great at room temperature. try it topped on a baked fish or with fish en papillote. the roasted tomatoes can also just be sliced or coarsely chopped and served on the side of the fish. once you’ve roasted them you can take them as is or make our sauce recipe and it’s off to the labor day picnic or tailgate. bring a small saucepan if you want to heat the sauce on the grill.

the roasted tomatoes or sauce are also great with rich flavorful fish. we’ll have beautiful native swordfish, bluefish and north atlantic mackerel this weekend along with lots of spanish mackerel for your grill.