For delicate, moist fish, we use a bed of shallots to prevent the fillets from directly touching the skillet. We stumbled upon this method of cooking fish when Ezra was in utero and we wanted a quick, delicious way to squeeze in a serving of low-mercury fish every week. Now that we have a toddler on the outside, it is still our family's favorite way to serve fish--Ezra likes it so much we didn't have time to get a photo of him eating it, so here is one of him grinning after polishing off his portion.
Fish with Sage, Wine and Shallots
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, sliced into rings
10 leaves sage, chopped
2 fish fillets -- delicate white fish like tilapia, basa, petrale sole or cod
salt and pepper
dry white wine
Heat olive oil in a skillet. Saute the shallots and sage for just a minute. Carefully lay the fish on top of the shallots and turn the heat to medium-low. Add enough white wine to immerse the fish halfway, season with salt and pepper and cover. Cook for a few minutes, then turn the fish over and cook, covered, until it is white throughout.