Creamy Fish With Mushrooms and Bacon (Melissa Clark, NYT Cooking)

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces bacon (4 to 8 slices, depending on thickness), diced
• 8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, stems discarded and caps halved or quartered
• 1 large shallot, diced
• 1 cup canned peeled whole tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for fish and to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, plus more for fish
• 5 tablespoons créme fraîche or heavy cream
• 5 thyme sprigs, plus 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, more for garnish
• 4 to 6 fillets black sea bass, fluke, tilefish, hake or other white fish(1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds), skin removed
• Baguette slices or buttered toast,for serving

In a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and shallot, and cook until tender and deeply golden, 5 to 8 minutes.

Use your hands to crush the tomatoes or a knife to roughly chop them. Deglaze the skillet with the crushed tomatoes and their liquid, along with the wine and vegetable stock. Add the salt and pepper. Bring to a strong simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more saltif needed.

Whisk in 4 tablespoons créme fraîche or cream, then add thyme sprigs. Simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes or until the sauce has reduced slightly.

While the sauce reduces, generously season the fillets on both sides with salt and pepper.

Place the thicker fillets toward the edge of the skillet on top of the sauce and place the thinner fillets toward the center. Some overlapping is fine. Use a spoon to scoop some of the mushroom mixture over the fillets and dollop the remaining 1 tablespoon of créme fraîche evenly over the skillet. Sprinkle with thyme leaves.

Cover and cook until the sauce is bubbling and the fillets are just cooked through (internal temperature of 125°. Serve garnished with thyme leaves in shallowbowls with baguette slices or buttered toast for dipping.