We are trying to eat more fish in our household and lucky for me, my girls are starting to enjoy seafood too. This is a very simple recipe I adapted from Paula Deen's version that can be used with any flaky white fish including grouper, flounder, flute, tilapia, Mahi-Mahi, and snapper.
You are looking for fillets that are about 1 inch thick and weigh about 4 to 6 ounces each. Try to buy fish with the same thickness so it cooks evenly. If you do find yourself with a thin piece at the end, just fold it under itself to make it thicker.
For this dish, I used Grouper and you can find the recipe for Remoulade Sauce here.
Simple Pecan Crusted Fish with Remoulade Sauce
| Prep Time: 10 min |
Cook Time: 20 min |
Total Time: .5 hr |
Servings: 4 |
Ingredients:
- 4 grouper fillets, cut about 1 inch thick
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) of melted butter, plus an extra tablespoon
- 1 cup of pecans
- 1-tablespoon oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lemon, cut up into 4 wedges for garnish
How To Make At Home:
Start by preparing the Remoulade Sauce as described in my post.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
In a food processor or blender, grind the pecans into the size of breadcrumbs and reserve.
It's always a good idea to rinse off any fresh fish you purchase at the market and it is just as important to dry it thoroughly before cooking. If the fish is not dry, there is the possibility of steaming rather than frying it.
Season with salt & pepper. Now dredge the fish fillets in the melted butter and coat them with the ground pecans. An easy way to do this is to use a plate or one of those rectangular storage containers. Be sure to coat both sides.
Pre-heat a fry pan large enough to hold all the fillets and able to go into the oven. If you don't have one large enough, you can cook them in batches and use a sheet pan to finish in the oven.
Once the pan is hot, add the tablespoon of butter and the tablespoon of oil and as soon as the butter begins to sizzle, add the fish and cook about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the fry pan to the oven and finish cooking for about 8 minutes in the oven.
These times are estimates because everyone's stove tops and ovens cook at variable temperatures. This means it's a good idea to get the feel of cooking fish with your equipment. In just a couple of tries, you'll have no problem telling when the fish is ready. If you need to, you can test the doneness by using a knife to tell how flaky the fish is.
Transfer the fillets to plates along with your side dishes and lemon wedges. You can serve the remoulade sauce on the side or as I did, right on the fish. I served my grouper with roasted potatoes and Brussels sprouts.
