Rob is off galavanting around all over Kansas City for his Bachelor’s party this weekend. You know what that means? Tons of cooking and endless hours of Netflix binging for me! I’ve barely managed to scrap myself off the couch this weekend. I’m perfectly content with that.
Of course, I cooked up a lot of new recipes yesterday—and plan to cook up some more today. The big winner of yesterday, though, was this Baked Fish Parmesan.
The original recipe called for halibut, but the halibut prices at my grocery store have skyrocketed for some weird reason. I contemplated my other white fish options and settled on some orange roughy fillets.
I was trying to steer clear of tilapia, but after I made this, I found out how unsustainable orange roughy is. It’s overfished because the fish takes so long to mature (10-20 years!) and it is a deep-sea dweller that keeps huge amounts of mercury in its flesh.
So, those are some bad things about orange roughy. But after tasting it—oh wow. It’s really good. Firm fillets with a mild flavor. I probably won’t buy orange roughy again, but I definitely recommend people try it at least once in their lives. It’s a really tasty fish.
If you’re turned off by the bad things about orange roughy, you can use either halibut or cod. Don’t buy tilapia! It’s apparently not a good fish to buy. I know it’s enticing with its super low prices, but just don’t do it.
If all else fails, look for frozen fillets in the freezer aisle. Unless you live right next to an ocean, most fish comes pre-frozen to begin with. I’m sure the halibut might be a bit cheaper in the frozen bag form.
Baked Fish Parmesan
A sweet and garlicky tomato sauce topped with baked fish encrusted in panko and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 1 lb. orange roughy fillets (or other firm white fish)
- 1 lb. plum or Campari tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 TBS. olive oil, plus more for topping
- 1 TBS. tomato paste
- 2 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 tsp. dried basil
- 2 tsp. dried parsley
- 2 TBS. red wine
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes and stir until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper and wine.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened and bubbly.
- Spray a large 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Pour tomato sauce into dish. Place fish fillets on top and season with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan and bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over fish fillets. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned and crispy, and fish flakes easily with a fork.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes.
Add chopped tomatoes and stir until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper and wine.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened and bubbly.
Spray a large 13×9″ baking dish with cooking spray. Pour tomato sauce into dish. Place fish fillets on top and season with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, stir together Parmesan and bread crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over fish fillets. Drizzle olive oil over the top.
Bake for 15 minutes or until breadcrumbs are browned and crispy, and fish flakes easily with a fork.
leencuisine.com 
It looks like we’re both into crusty toppings this week! This looks so very tasty. Will keep it in mind for my next fish dish. 🙂
We must be on the same wavelength!
It’s in the air… 😀
This looks delicious! I’ve been looking for some fish recipes to try.
It’s so simple, but it has the complex and fantastic flavor! You should definitely try it 😊
I have it bookmarked so that I don’t forget it!
Fantastic! I think you’ll really like it.
Oh, the fish choices are so tough. Good for you for trying to keep it sustainable!!
I tried! I was pretty sad when I got home and looked up orange roughy to find out how unsustainable it was…though it was really tasty.
Looks yummy!
What did you watch on Netflix?
I’ve been fully invested in Shameless for the past couple of weeks! Great show.
We love Shameless too:)
I’m kicking myself for not starting it sooner. So good!