Tomato Basil Baked Fish -- The Tomato Is the Thing, Sugar

July in Alabama. The heat is the heat. The work continues. Tuesday at the church. Bernice's Table fed eighty this week. The kitchen team handled it. I am the conductor and they are the orchestra and we are getting better every week.

Calvin preached Sunday on Lazarus. The church said amen. I talked to Marcus this morning at the kitchen window with my coffee. I told him the kitchen was holding. He did not answer in words. He does not need to.

Tomato sandwiches for lunch — heirlooms from the farmer's market, white bread, mayonnaise, salt. The Alabama summer lunch, baby.

CJ called from Huntsville. The grandchildren — Caleb (2), Naomi — are well. Shanice sends her love.

Calvin in the recliner. Me at the stove. The week held.

Mr. Henderson across the street brought me a bag of pecans Friday from his tree. I made a pecan pie with them. I took half of it back to him. He said, Loretta, this is wrong, you took my pecans and gave me back a pie. I said, that is exactly right. That is how it works.

I have been thinking about heaven a lot lately. I do not know what I think. I know what Calvin preaches. I know what the AME doctrine says. I know what my Mama believed. I am at the age, sugar, where heaven is more than a Sunday school answer. I am working on it.

I sat on the porch Saturday afternoon. The neighborhood was quiet. Mr. Henderson across the street waved. I waved back. The porches are the original social network, sugar. We have been at this since Eden.

The kitchen smelled like garlic and onion all afternoon Wednesday. Calvin came home from his Bible study and stood in the doorway and said, Loretta, what are we eating. I said, baby, you will see. He said, that is a yes from me. He has been saying that for fifty years.

Doris called Thursday. Three times a week, the standard. We talked about Calvin's health. We talked about Harold's health. We talked about the family. We talked about what I was cooking.

A young woman from the new members class came to me Sunday. She was nervous. She said, Mother Simms, my husband and I are expecting our first and I do not know how to cook. I said, baby, come to the Saturday class. She said, I'm coming. The chain extends.

Sister Beulah came by Tuesday afternoon to drop off the bulletins. She stayed for coffee. We talked about the church, about her grandbaby, about the heat. The visit was the visit.

Calvin Jr. called Tuesday night. He was tired. He had been at work twelve hours. I told him, baby, eat something. He said, Mama, I will. I said, what did you eat last. He said, a granola bar. I said, baby, that is not eating. He laughed.

I drove to the grocery Saturday morning. Greens, three pounds. Onions, two big ones. Buttermilk, half gallon. Cornmeal, the good kind. Salt, because I always run out of salt.

A new young wife joined the Saturday cooking class. Twenty-two years old. She does not know how to make rice. I will teach her. The chain extends.

I made coffee at five Tuesday morning. Strong, with cream, no sugar (the diabetes). I stood at the kitchen window. The yard was still in dark. The day ahead was the day ahead. I went into it.

Sister Patrice's husband had heart surgery this week. I drove a meal over Tuesday — chicken and rice, cornbread, peach cobbler. She cried at the door. I told her, baby, eat the food. The food was the saying.

The heirlooms I picked up at the farmer’s market that Tuesday were so good I could not let them stop at lunch. After the sandwiches were done and the afternoon stretched long, I started thinking about supper — something light, something that let those tomatoes keep talking. This Tomato Basil Baked Fish is what came out of it: simple enough for a Wednesday when the kitchen already smells like garlic and onion, bright enough to feel like a gift. Calvin saw it come out of the oven and said, Loretta, that is a yes from me. Fifty years and the man still says it the same way.

Tomato Basil Baked Fish

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 white fish fillets (such as tilapia, cod, or snapper), about 6 oz each
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped (heirloom or vine-ripe preferred)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• Lemon slices, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with a little olive oil or nonstick spray.
2. Make the tomato topping. In a bowl, combine the chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes if using. Stir gently and let it sit for five minutes so the flavors come together.
3. Arrange the fish. Pat the fillets dry and lay them in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Season lightly with a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Top and bake. Spoon the tomato-basil mixture evenly over each fillet. Slide the dish into the oven and bake uncovered for 18–22 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the tomatoes are soft and fragrant.
5. Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for two minutes out of the oven. Serve warm with lemon slices on the side and a piece of good cornbread if you have it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 230 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 380mg