Easy Broiled Fish

Hi Friends! Happy first day of fall!

We’re back with a super simple, amazingly tasty, Easy Broiled Fish.

I’m working in Minnesota this week (hello…fall? It’s 90 degrees here today. What?) and last night in the symphony carpool we got to talking about food, cooking, and recipes. That’s no surprise to anyone who knows me and my symphony friends – many of their recipes have been featured here.

The conversation turned to fish recipes and while driving, I explained in about 2 minutes how to make this delicious Easy Broiled Fish. It’s a perfect recipe to get us back in the swing of things – Perfect for busy schedules and week nights but also so delicious that you’ll want to make it for friends too.

I’ve made this for everyone in my family and they all gave it rave reviews. Speaking of family…

A small disclaimer from my sister who when I made it for her this summer was all, “What? Mayo and cheese on fish? Did you fall and bump your head?” This fish is truly delicious. The topping makes a creamy, tangy sauce which she has pronounced as “Not weird at all.” HA!

So set aside any preconceived notions about what properly goes on fish and give this a try.

Here’s what you need:

Fish* (Grouper, Snapper, Halibut or the like), Butter, Lemon, Mayonnaise, Hot Sauce, Pecorino Romano (or parmesan) Cheese, Salt & Pepper

Click here for an Easy Broiled Fish Shopping List

Note:  This cooks in minutes – about 5 total, so be sure you have anything else you are serving (rice, salad, veg, etc.) ready to go.

Preheat the boiler to high and place the rack in the top 1/3 of the oven.

*You have many options with the fish. Choose something light and flaky that has a little thickness to it (at least ½ inch) rather than a completely flat fish like sole or tilapia. I’ve made this three times and used grouper, red snapper, and halibut. All were delicious.

Plan on 6-8 oz of fish per person. Remove the skin if needed – however, your fish will probably come skinned. I leave the skin ON for red snapper otherwise it falls apart. Plus that skin is so thin, it’s unnoticeable when the fish has cooked.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and oil or spray the foil with non-stick spray. Season the fish lightly with salt & pepper and squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the top of the fillets.

I am using just under 2 pounds of fish here but this recipe is easily adjusted for any amount. I plan on 6-8 ounces of fish per person.

Soften 4 Tablespoons of butter to room temperature. If you want to speed up this process, you can put the butter in a warm oven or nuke it very, very quickly (about 5 or 6 seconds) in the microwave. You want the butter soft but not melted.

Stir in 3 Tablespoons of mayonnaise and ½ cup of finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese. I really prefer the bite of the Pecorino plus it’s a little less waxy than the parm.

Add a dash of hot sauce like Franks or Sriracha…

and stir to combine. Set the sauce aside.

Broil the fish on a rack in the top 1/3 of the oven for 3-5 minutes until slightly flaky. Don’t put the fish right up under the broiler or flame or you will incinerate it.

The fish should be firm to the touch and mostly cooked through. For my grouper which was a little bit thicker, I broiled for 5 minutes. For snapper which was thinner, I only needed to broil for about 3 – 4 minutes. Watch your fish carefully and don’t be afraid to take it out and give it a poke with a fork for flakiness. You can always return it to the oven if it needs another minute.

After the initial broiling, remove the fish from the oven and spoon the creamy sauce over each piece.

Because the fish is hot, the sauce will start to melt and run immediately but don’t worry, you can spoon it up and back over the fish once it has cooked.

Return the fish to the broiler for only 1-2 minutes more until the topping is bubbly and golden brown.

Serve each portion of the fish and spoon the sauce from the pan over the top.

I’m serving this with leek infused cauliflower rice and a big green salad.

This fish has such a tangy, good flavor. None of the flavors stand out on their own but make a smooth, velvety, buttery sauce…you’d be hard pressed to say there was cheese in this if I hadn’t told you.

Start to finish, Easy Broiled Fish can be on the table in 15 minutes or less. That includes time to open a nice bottle of white wine for the cook!

Here’s the recipe:  Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Easy Broiled Fish