Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Crunchy Orange Roughy

This was my latest "challenge" recipe...usually, with fish, I either batter and fry it, or douse it with lemon, EVOO, and seasonings, and bake it...this was something a tiny bit different. BB and I enjoyed it immensely, but the kiddos said they didn't like the coating. I think next time, I'll halve the oregano, and maybe try something like paprika or cayenne for a teensy bit of kick.

Ingredients:
  • 1/3 C lemon juice (I used the bottled stuff, as fresh are out of budget right now)
  • 1 T EVOO (or other veggie oil)
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 C instant mashed potato flakes (DO NOT USE THIS MUCH UNLESS YOU ARE COOKING FOR AN ARMY!!!! I cut it by half and still had a TON left over)
  • 4 - 6, 6oz roughy fillets, thawed, rinsed and patted dry
Directions:
Preheat oven to 500 F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray (I use my Pampered Chef mister and regular EVOO or corn oil).
Whisk together the lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, and oregano in a shallow container. Place fish fillets in container and set aside to marinate while oven heats and you prepare your side dishes.
To cook, dip the fish in the potato flakes, and place on lined baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

* - I misted the coated fish with some more EVOO, and baked it close to the heat to get a good golden, crispy coating. The fish actually took about 10 minutes per side, so I think the original recipe might have left that part out.

Regardless, this produces a good, juicy fish with a delicate lemon flavor. It was a bit overwhelmed by the oregano, which makes me think that next time, I'll try subbing something like dill, and adding that dash of cayenne.

We enjoyed this with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli.