Cookbook author and nutritionist Ellie Krieger was savoring a wonderful memory of pre-covid days; out to lunch with her husband enjoying an appetizer of baked clams oreganata with a glass of dry white wine. So why not make this a main course with an easy sheet pan dinner? Pile crispy herb and garlic seasoned breadcrumbs onto fish fillets and tomatoes, and roast until browned and fragrant. A healthy and delicious dinner in half an hour. We are lucky in San Diego to still be able to get decent tomatoes in February, which helped no doubt. Even if yours aren’t the best, the topping will still make this worth your while.
3 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for greasing the baking pan
1 cup (2 3/4 ounces) whole-wheat or regular panko
2 Tbs. finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 large clove garlic, minced or finely grated
1 Tbs. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
4 medium tomatoes (1 pound 8 ounces total), halved across
4 (6-ounce) fillets of cod, scrod or sole
Lemon wedges, for serving
Position a baking rack in the middle and another one in the top third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a large, rimmed baking sheet with a little oil and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the panko, the 3 Tbs. of oil, the parsley, garlic, Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper flakes.
Add the tomatoes to the greased baking sheet, cut side up. (If some of the tomato halves have bottoms that cause the tomatoes to roll over, trim a little off the bottom to get a flat edge to stabilize them .) Top each tomato half with about 1 Tbs. of the breadcrumb mixture. Roast (middle rack) for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes soften a bit.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the fish on the sheet pan next to the tomatoes. Distribute the remaining breadcrumb mixture on top of the fish, then return the baking sheet to the oven and roast (top rack) for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and is no longer translucent. If desired, place the baking sheet under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes to brown the breadcrumb mixture further.
Divide the fish and the tomatoes among the plates and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 4.
Note: I used seabass and didn’t need the broiler. Check the fish earlier if thinner fillets.
{ 0 comments… add one now }