Ingredients

(Preparation and cooking time about 30 minutes)

1 teaspoon butter, or more (see note)
1/2 cup sliced or minced shallots
1 cup roughly chopped portobello or other mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds any white-fleshed fillet of fish, such as red snapper (about 1 fish, in 1 or 2 pieces)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry sparkling hard cider

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 F. Smear the bottom of an ovenproof skillet with the butter; sprinkle the shallots and mushrooms around the sides of the skillet. Season the fish with salt and pepper to taste and lay it in the center of the skillet. Pour the cider around the fish.

Bring to a boil on top of the stove, then transfer to the oven. Bake for about 8 minutes; it's highly unlikely the fish will need more time than this unless it is very thick (or you like it very well done). Baste with the pan juices and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Bittman says that for his taste, after experimenting for a while, the only improvement he found was to add more butter. He stopped at 4 tablespoons, "but the dish is awfully nice when made on the lean side, too."

Easy variations to try:

Substitute for the shallots any aromatic vegetable or a combination — onion, leeks, carrot (cut very small), celery, fennel or scallions.

Use a mixture of mushrooms or reconstituted dried mushrooms.

Enhance the apple flavor by adding chopped peeled apples to the sauce. Even better, peel, core and slice some apples, saute them in butter until tender and lightly browned; spoon a little over each portion of fish.

Add to poaching liquid a teaspoon of thyme leaves, or small amounts of parsley, chervil or dill, and use the same herbs as garnish.

Add seeds to poaching liquid; try caraway, coriander or fennel.