| 1 tsp | Fennel seeds |
| 3 tblsp | Olive oil |
| 1 | Large yellow onion, thinly sliced |
| 2 | Large fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 4 cups) |
| 1 tblsp | Grataed orange zest |
| 2 cups | (12 oz) peeled, seeded and diced tomatoes (optional) |
| | Salt and freshly ground pepper |
| 4 | Cod, flounder or sea bass fillets, 5-6 oz each |
| 1 cup | Dry white wine |
| 1/4 cup | Pernod |
| | Fennel feathers or chopped fresh mint for garnish |
Place the fennel seeds in a small, dry frying pan over medium-low heat and toast, shaking occasionally, until fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a mortar or spice grinder and pulverize.
Preheat an oven to 450 F.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and saute, stirring, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the sliced fennel and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the ground fennel seeds, orange zest and the tomatoes, if using, and cook for 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Distribute the fennel mixture among 4 individual baking dishes or place in 1 large baking dish. Place the fish fillets atop the fennel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Combine the wine and Pernod and pour over the fish.
Bake until the fish is opaque when tested with a knife, about 8 minutes. Sprinkle with fennel feathers or mint and serve at once.