Baked Fish in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons light olive oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
• 2 large carrots, grated (1 cup)
• One 28-ounce can peeled tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 medium green pepper, roughly chopped (1 cup)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins, roughly chopped

For the fish:

• 1/2 cup light olive oil, peanut oil, or vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless and boneless fish fillets, such as cod, sole, haddock or halibut
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To prepare the sauce: heat the oil in a large sauté pan or saucepan set over high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking for an additional minute or two. Add the carrots. Squeeze the tomatoes into the pot, breaking them up into smaller pieces between your fingers. Add all of the juice from the tomatoes, plus about 1/4 cup water that you use to rinse out the can. Add the brown sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Add the chopped green pepper, black pepper, and salt. Stir, cover, and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the green pepper is wilted. Stir in the raisins. Cool to room temperature.

For the fish: heat the oil in a large sauté pan set over high heat. Dredge the fish fillets in flour and place in the hot oil. Don’t crowd the pan. Season the fillets with salt and pepper while they fry until very light brown, no more than 2 or 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes or so. Remove from the pan and pat dry with paper towels.

To assemble: preheat the oven to 350° F. Spoon some of the sauce onto the bottom of a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Arrange the fried fish fillets on top in a single layer. Pour the remaining sauce over the fish.

Bake in the preheated oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Test for doneness by pressing the fillet with a butter knife to see how easily it flakes; when it breaks easily into tender flakes, it is ready. Remove the fish from the oven and cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.