Fish Fillets (Cod, Haddock, Pollack—You Name It!) in Roasted Tomato Broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With a paring knife, gouge out the stem end of the tomatoes. Pack the tomatoes stem side down in a baking dish sized so the tomatoes are tightly crowded together and there is no extra space in the dish. Alternatively, halve the tomatoes crosswise and place the cut sides down in the roasting pan. If you are using cherry or grape tomatoes, simply prick each tomato with a knife and continue with the recipe.
2. Throw in the herbs; add the balsamic vinegar and dry vermouth. Add a bit of salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the olive oil to cover all the tomatoes.
3. Place in the oven for 30 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 325 and allow to cook until the tomato skins begin to get wrinkly and brown. Work toward reducing the liquid. The forgiving part of this recipe is within this step. Should you have late arrivals, you can stretch out this step before you add the fish.
4. Return the heat to 375, and pack the fish fillets into the baking dish, making sure to submerge the fillets into the tomato concoction. Bake for 30 minutes.
5. You have two choices at this point. Either serve the dish as a fish "soup", and make sure you have plenty of bread to douse up the broth; or, pour off the juices from the roasted tomatoes, and reduce them in a skillet until the sauce becomes thicker. Then you can plate the fish and tomatoes atop the reduced sauce.