Favorite Fish Dish

If you're a Catholic (or "Cat-lick", as some of my favorite family members would say) and a vegetarian like me, the Lenten restrictions of no meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays won't even faze you.  However, if you have a beloved family member like the Carnivore, who staunchly supports every American's right to eat meat and lots of it, you'll need to come up with creatively delicious meals that will fulfill this Lenten obligation. Let's face it:  if your Catholic carnivore is like mine, he or she likely will forget each week when Friday rolls around and will only be spared the wrath of the Pope with your culinary intervention. 

The Carnivore's half-finished meal including Favorite Fish Dish, steamed broccoli, and rice.

Enter a fish dish that has graced our dinner table countless times in the last few months.  I stumbled upon it while surfing the Web one night in search of an EASY way to cook fish.  When I made it for the family that night, I was shocked to discover that not only the Carnivore approved, the Bigger One LOVED IT.  He didn't just eat what we served him.  He asked for more.  And more.  The Carnivore actually had to give up some of his usual portion so the Bigger One would be satisfied.  He asked me to make it again and again after that night, so we dubbed it "JD's Favorite Fish Dish" because he's probably its biggest fan. 

Devouring his favorite fish dish

Tonight I made it for Ash Wednesday.  My mom is visiting and loved it too.  Of course, the Littler One does not love Favorite Fish Dish because the Little One does not love anything but buttery pasta and cookies.  I guess I shouldn't complain.  He'll eat broccoli and tofu when he's inclined, which is pretty good for a two-year-old.  Still, it would be nice to find some meals that everyone in the family could enjoy.  Someday...

Here is the original fish recipe.  I've modified it a lot, as you can see.


"Easy Baked Fish Fillets" from myrecipes.com, a.k.a. JD's Favorite Fish Dish

Yield: 4 servings (5 ounces of fish each)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs white fish
cooking spray
1 tbsp fresh lime juice (I usually use fresh lemon juice)
1 tbsp light mayonnaise (I use Kraft's Olive Oil Mayo)
1/8 tsp onion powder (I didn't have onion powder the first time I made it, so I've used dried chopped onions since)
1/8 tsp black pepper (I use my rainbow peppercorn mill)
1/2 c fresh breadcrumbs (not fresh, sorry, folks)
1 1/2 butter or margarine, melted (I sub olive oil here)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (again, not fresh and sometimes, not even used)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place fish in an 11 X 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Combine lime juice, mayonnaise, onion powder, and pepper in a small bowl, and spread over fish.  Sprinkle with breadcrumbs; drizzle with butter.  Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.  Sprinkle with parsley.

Per serving: 223 calories, 7.5 grams of fat, 2.7 grams of saturated fat

We would love to hear about other easy fish dishes to add to the rotation.