Sometimes the title says it all…That’s certainly the case with Baked Fish with Butter & Sherry.
We have lovely fresh fish. We’re going to bake it with butter and sherry.
Then we’re going to eat it and be SOOOOOO happy because it is so delicious and it was so easy to make!
Honestly, start to finish this meal takes 15 minutes or less. Maybe 20 if you want rice.
Here’s what you need:
Fish (Cod), Butter, Sherry, Parsley, Salt & Pepper.
Click here for a Baked Fish with Butter & Sherry Shopping List
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
For the fish, choose something white and flaky and plan on 6-8 ounces of fish per person.
I have cod. The original recipe called for scrod which, even though I love fish, I’m pretty sure I’ve yet to encounter. Halibut would be good. So would snapper or sole.
Try to avoid super thin fillets of fish. If you only have something very thin like swai or tilapia, be sure to reduce the cooking time.
Butter the bottom of a baking dish just large enough to accommodate your fish. Place the fish in the dish and season lightly with salt & pepper.
Dot the top of the fish with butter. I am using about 2 Tablespoons total. That includes the butter used for greasing the dish.
Don’t be skimpy with the butter, however, because that is going to make your simple and delicious sauce.
Chop up 1 Tablespoon of fresh parsley and sprinkle it on top of the fish.
Add 2 Tablespoons of dry sherry to the pan.
You can put the sherry on top of the fish for extra flavor but it will make some of your seasonings float away.
Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes.
To figure out the timing of thinner or thicker fish, plan on about 12 minutes per inch of thickness of fish.
OR just keep an eye on the fish and rescue it when it starts to look firm but flaky.
Cut the fish into serving pieces and drizzle the pan juices on top of each serving.
This doesn’t seem like a ton of sauce, but it is plenty to flavor the fish elegantly and lightly.
That being said, be sure you use a spatula to get ALL of the sauce out of the pan. It’s that good.
Add some saffron rice, couscous, a green veg, some crusty French bread, a light green salad or any quick sides that you enjoy.
Baked Fish with Butter & Sherry is so fast and easy that it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner. I would also happily serve this to company and be extremely happy to not be chained to the stove and not have a gazillion dishes to wash.
Simple is good!
This recipe is written for 2 servings but this would be very easy to customize for any number of people.
Here’s the recipe – Adapted from James Peterson’s Fish & Shellfish
10 Responses
SCROD is COD or HADDOCK, it is a way they cook it up in Boston and the Rest of New England! It is quite good if you like a flaky white Fish! Usually they bake it with bread crumbs on top.
Thanks for the info! Sounds like scrod is a name in need of better marketing. No wonder they don’t use it as much any more.
Guy gets into a cab in Boston. Asks the driver for a fine seafood restaurant where he can get scrod. Cab drives says he’s been asked that question many different ways, but never in the future perfect subjunctive. Rim shot!!
Ha!!!!
This looks delicious. I never buy saffron because I feel like I don’t make enough recipes with it to justify the price. But this rice is beautiful – and I rarely make rice with a white fish because it makes the plate too…white. Boring. Sherry is another thing I always have but don’t think to use often enough. Thanks for some good ideas here.
How are your kitties?
I have saffron in the pantry but I freely admit that this is Mahatma brand saffron rice mix. 20 minutes on the stove and you have perfect yellow rice. I like it because it’s not too salty compared to some of the other rice mix options.
Simple and delicious….I’m going to try this one!
Hi There
I will be cooking this fish this week. Question. You pointed out not to pour the sherry over the fish because it will make the seasonings float away. What about pouring the sherry, slowly, gently over the fish AFTER it’s dotted with butter and then sprinkling with the parsley? Also, I am sure, that the sherry will still run over the sides of the fish onto the baking dish, so there will be sauce left to pour over the fish after it’s cooked. What do you think?
So sorry I didn’t see this sooner. I’ve been having technical difficulties as you can see. I’m glad the recipe worked out for you. And YES to Marsala wine. I love it! Thanks for the comments. We hope to be back up to full steam by July 1!
This was a huge hit. Loved it. But I must confess I made some changes. Instead of just seasoning the fish with salt and pepper I also used Trader Joe’s all purpose seasoning 21 Salute. I also had some leftover ground almonds that I had used as a coating for the previous meal I made last week, so I sprinkled some of the almonds on the fish, which really pushed the umami up several notches. I also used Marsala wine instead of the sherry. I can’t help it. Anytime I see a recipe that calls for alcohol, I use Marsala. I love the flavor. I also spooned the wine very gently over the fish after I placed the pieces of butter on top, then added the parsley. It came out sensational. Thanks for the recipe.