Mustard Roasted Fish

Mustard Roasted Fish.

By FAR, my favorite way to prepare fish. Simple, easy, elegant, and delicious.

This is one of those great recipes that comes together with a few ingredients but packs a big flavor punch.

The fish bakes or roasts in the oven while the mustard and creme fraiche create a luscious sauce.

This is a dish you’ll want to make again and again.

Here’s what you need:

Fish Fillets*, Creme Fraiche, Dijon Mustard, Whole Grain Mustard, Capers, and Shallots (or red onion as pictured here).

*I most often make this dish with Red Snapper fillets however the fish pictured here is Flounder. Any white, mild fish like Orange Roughy or even Halibut will work. I haven’t tried it, but I suspect that salmon would also be good since it has enough flavor to stand up to the sauce. Plan on about 8 ounces of fish per person. Be sure to get boneless, skinless fish fillets — unless you’re using Snapper which usually comes with the skin still on because it is very thin and edible.

Click here for a Mustard Roasted Fish Shopping List.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

You can use individual fillets for each person or if you have  a larger piece of fish, you’ll want to cut it into smaller serving pieces before you cook it.

Shallots have a milder flavor than onions so are preferable for this dish. However, if you discover that you are out of shallots, a bit of red onion will do instead.

Finely mince (tiny pieces) 1 medium shallot or about 2 Tablespoons of red onion.

Creme Fraiche is the key to this recipe. It’s sort of a French version of sour cream but is thicker and less sour than our store bought sour cream. Many regular grocery stores sell it. I am always able to find it at Whole Foods.

Unfortunately sour cream is NOT a good substitute for Creme Fraiche in this recipe as it does not have the thickness (or fat) to stand up to the high heat of roasting.

In a small bowl, mix 8 ounces of creme fraiche with the finely chopped shallots (or onion), 2 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard, and 2 Tablespoons of Whole Grain Mustard.

Using both kinds of mustard is the secret to this tasty sauce. You get the mild, wine infused favor of the Dijon and the POP from the little grainy whole mustard seeds.

Add 2 teaspoons (or more, if you like them) of drained capers.

Capers are the little berry of the caper berry bush. They come in jars and are slightly pickled. You will find them near the pickles and olives in your grocery store.

Stir the sauce together until smooth and all of the ingredients are well combined.

Place the fish in a large baking dish that has been coated with non-stick spray and spread the sauce over the top of the fillets. Be sure to cover all of the fish with sauce.

Any extra sauce can go either on the fish or down in the pan.

This recipe makes enough sauce for 4 people or about 2 pounds of fish. You can easily cut the recipe in half for a smaller portion.

Bake the fish at 425 degrees for 15 minutes until  fully cooked, moist, and flaky.

At the very last minute, you can put the fish under the boiler to get a little color on the top. However, watch the fish closely so that it does not burn. Do not overcook the fish.

Serve immediately with the delicious sauce spooned over the top of each fillet.

I like to serve this with brown rice (or pilaf) and a green veg like asparagus or broccolini.

Make it once, and you’ll be hooked.

Here’s the recipe – Adapted from Ina Garten

Mustard Roasted Fish