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1
Put the fillets in a baking dish.
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2
Squeeze the juice from 1 of the limes over both sides of them, and season them generously with salt.
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3
Turn them once or twice in the seasonings.
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4
Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes, or cover and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
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5
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil.
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6
Set a bowl of ice water near the stove.
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7
Core the tomatoes and cut an X in the opposite end.
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8
Slip the tomatoes into the boiling water and leave them just until the skin starts to peel away from the X.
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9
The time depends on the tomatoes: very ripe tomatoes will need 10 seconds or so; less ripe tomatoes will take longer.
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10
With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to the bowl of ice water.
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11
Let them stand until cool enough to handle, then slip off the skins.
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12
Drain and cut into 3/4-inch slices.
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13
Preheat the oven to 425F.
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14
Scatter half the onions over the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish or another dish in which the fillets will fit snugly with a little overlap.
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15
Arrange a little less than half the tomato slices over the onions.
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16
(If you plan to present the finished dish at the table, use the smaller end slices of tomato here and save the prettier center slices for the top.)
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17
Top with the bay leaves, then scatter half the cilantro, thyme sprigs, and chopped jalapeno over that.
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18
Season with at least 1 teaspoon salt.
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19
Tuck the garlic cloves into the vegetables around the edges of the dish.
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20
Squeeze the juice from the remaining lime over the vegetables and top with the seasoned fillets, spacing them evenly but overlapping a little if necessary.
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21
Scatter the olives and capers over the fillets, then make another layer of the remaining onions and tomatoes to cover the fish.
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22
Scatter the remaining cilantro, thyme sprigs, and chopped jalapeno over that.
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23
Season again with salt, then drizzle the olive oil and pickled jalapeno juice over everything.
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24
Cover tightly with aluminum foil.
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25
The casserole can be prepared ahead and refrigerated for up to 6 hours.
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26
Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking.
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27
Bake the casserole for 20 minutes.
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28
Uncover and bake until the juices given off by the vegetables are bubbling and the fillets are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.
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29
To serve, scrape the vegetables covering the fish to the sides of the dish.
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30
Gently lift up the fillets and transfer them to serving plates.
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31
Most likely they will break apart a little; that is fine.
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32
Pick out the garlic cloves, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and discard.
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33
Mash the remaining ingredients coarsely into the juices with a fork to make a chunky sauce.
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34
Check for seasoning, and add salt if necessary.
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35
Spoon the sauce over the fillets and scatter some chopped pickled jalapenos over each if you like.
