Fish for lunch. I can easily eat fish every day, and there must be thousands of ways to fix good fish. This unusual recipe puts a crust calling for walnuts and lots of herbs, then roasted garlic. Not complicated, although it’s starting to sound like it. The garlic bakes along with the fish, and then you squish it over the fish. As you wish.
I cooked Nile Perch, but any firm white fish, filleted, is good.
Fish Baked in Walnut Crust Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 large fish fillet (enough for at least 4 portions)
- 1 large egg (beaten)
- 1/2 cup ground walnuts
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 4 clean, unpeeled garlic cloves
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Pinches of fresh or dried herbs: thyme, basil, rosemary, a few stalks of lemon grass
- A small handful of chives
- Olive oil to drizzle
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
- If using frozen fish, rinse it and let it sit covered in cold water plus half the lemon juice, for 10 minutes. If using fresh, forgo the lemon water treatment.
- Put the beaten egg into a large bowl. Swish the fillet around in it, front and back. Make sure all its surface is covered in egg.
- In another large bowl or large, shallow platter, put the dry ingredients. Mix them up.
- Lay the fillet on top of the nut mixture, and scooping up more from the sides to pat on top of the fillet. Turn the fillet over. Make sure it’s entirely coated with the dry mixture.
- Place the fish on a baking tray protected by baking paper. Scatter the herbs and garlic on top.
- Drizzle olive oil over the whole. Be generous but don’t drown the fish.
- Cover the fish loosely with tin foil. Bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the tin foil and bake another 5 minutes to allow the crust to brown.
- Squash the garlic flesh out of the cloves – it will come out of the flat side closest to the root. Put the garlic paste in a small dish and serve to those who like it. You can certainly put more garlic cloves to bake with the fish if you want – just separate them and make sure they get their fair share of olive oil before baking.
- This flavorful fish is best served with plain rice and a steamed vegetable.
