James Peterson's Baked Fish Fillets with Butter and Sherry
A 5-ingredient, 20-minute technique to make any white fish shine -- bonus: it makes its own buttery, boozy sauce, without deglazing or reducing. So go to your local fishmonger or sign up for a CSF. Don't blindly buy halibut or sea bass or whatever a recipe calls for -- ask your trusty fishperson what's in season, what came in fresh that day. Any firm-fleshed, non-oily white fish will work -- sole, cod, bass, rockfish, or any white fish that's not too delicate (so skip scrawny fillets like flounder). Adapted slightly from Fish & Shellfish (William Morrow, 1996).
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 pound scrod fillets (or any in season, firm-fleshed, non-oily white fish; sole, cod, bass, rockfish)
- 1 dash salt
- 1 dash pepper
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter herb butter, or extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoon dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
Instructions
Prepare the fish
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Pull any pin bones out of the fish and sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.
- Rub the bottom of a square casserole just large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer with a tablespoon of butter or olive oil.
- Arrange the fillets in an even layer on top.
- Dot the tops of the fillets with butter or sprinkle them with olive oil.
- Sprinkle with the sherry and tarragon.
Bake and serve:
- Bake for about 12 minutes per inch of thickness.
- Check for doneness by cutting into a fillet at the thickest part to see if it's opaque inside and pulls apart.
- If you have only 1 or 2 fillets, cut them into a total of 4 servings and place on hot plates.
- Spoon the melted butter and juices in the bottom of the pan over the fillets. Serve immediately.