That’s why for dinner tonight I’m making this roasted haddock with olives and tomatoes. It’s a dish I adapted from the Mediterranean roasted whole fish I had when I traveled to Italy back in May.

Here’s the thing about roasting olives and fish — it makes perfect sense. The brininess in olives with a meaty white fish like haddock pair together really nicely, with the fish taking on the salty flavor of the olives. Throw in some really ripe tomatoes and let their juiciness burst in a hot oven, and you’ve got a ready-made sauce for the fish to simmer in.

For more freshness, I also shredded ribbons of lemon juice and chopped some flat-leaf parsley. Because the haddock filets are tightly rolled and packed into a roasting tray just big enough to fit the fish, the roasting juices from the tomatoes and olives have no choice but to permeate the fish. I served salad and rice along with my roasted haddock with olives and tomatoes, but I could easily see this dish being great accompanied with crusty baguette.

The best part about this dish is that it’s hearty enough to eat on its own, too, without any sides at all. In fact, during our Whole30 diet, I made this dish a few times and it made me less sad. (If you’ve never done a Whole30, it’s basically one month of watching other people eat fun food while you eat a lot of eggs. I’d never do it again, except that it totally works.)

As for what olives to use — the fresher, the better. I love green Nocerella olives and always keep a stockpile in our fridge for snacking, but I’ve had this roasted fish with black olives and capers, and it worked just as well. Every time I make this dish, I close my eyes and can practically hear the gentle lapping of waves up against a seashore. It’s that combination of briny goodness and sweet, plump tomatoes, I think.

Well, an active imagination and an insatiable hunger also helps.