This fish is positively crumby — and we like it that way
This is one of those dishes that feels like home to me.
It is not only similar to one mother had in regular rotation when I was a kid — when she would roll flounder fillets (often fish my dad had caught off the Long Island coast) with bread crumbs and butter, then sprinkle them with lemon juice and bake it — it also happens to be one of my daughter’s favourites and a weeknight go-to in our home.
I put my own stamp on it, mostly with the goal of making the bread crumbs as crispy as possible (because, really, who can resist crispy bread crumbs?) and with an eye on optimizing the dish’s healthfulness.
I still love flounder, and that works well for this recipe. But I prefer sole’s firmer texture.
Sole with Crispy Lemon-Thyme Bread Crumbs Makes 4 servings
2 teaspoons olive oil 1 1⁄2 tsp unsalted butter 1⁄2 cup whole-wheat panko bread crumbs, or homemade whole-grain bread crumbs 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest 1 medium clove garlic, minced Kosher salt
4 fillets of sole, or other thin, white-fleshed fish (1 1⁄2 pounds) Freshly ground black pepper Lemon wedges, for serving Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine the oil and the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the bread crumbs, thyme, lemon zest, garlic and season lightly with salt; cook for three or four minutes, stirring frequently, until the garlic is fragrant and the crumbs are crisped and a darker shade of brown.
Arrange the fillets on the baking sheet. Season them lightly with salt and the pepper, then scatter the bread crumb mixture on top of each one, pressing down slightly so it adheres.
Bake (middle rack) for about eight minutes, until the fish is just opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
Serve with lemon wedges.
Per serving: 190 calories, 23 grams protein, 7 g carbohydrates, 7 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 80 milligrams cholesterol, 590 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fibre, 0 g sugar