Fish with Nuts

Fish. Fish with Nuts.

I tried to come up with a fancier name for this dish, but to be honest in our family we’ve called it Fish with Nuts for over 40 years and the name has sort of stuck.

My mom used to make this dish with Sole (which is REALLY tasty, if you can find it) so I supposed you could call it Sole Almandine. But I don’t have Sole, I have something called Swai…and really, any nice light, white fish fillet will do the trick. So, Fish with Nuts it is.

You will not believe how fast and easy this recipe is. When was the last time you made dinner that took less than 10 minutes total? Never? That’s what I thought.

Here’s what you need:

Fish Fillets*, Flour, Slivered Almonds, Butter, Lemon, Paprika, Tabasco Sauce, Oil, Parsley, Salt & Pepper.

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*This is a very mild and light flavored dish so any light, white fish fillets will work. The original recipe calls for Sole Fillets but I can’t find them in my store. I’m using Swai, which I’d never heard of before last week but is apparently a farm raised fish popular in Asia. Orange Roughy or Tilapia would also work.

Since this dish cooks in a flash, it is important to have all your ingredients (and whatever side dishes you’re serving) all ready to go. I served this with some Yellow Saffron Rice (Mahatma brand from the store) and steamed broccoli.

Begin by placing about 1/2 cup of slivered almonds in a dry frying pan over medium low heat. Toast the almonds until they are a lovely, light golden brown.

This takes only about 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t burn. Your nose knows when they are done.

While the almonds toast, prepare a large baking sheet by covering it with foil and brushing with oil. Any light oil like canola or light olive oil will work. Do not use a flavored oil such as Extra Virgin Olive Oil as it will over-power the light flavor of the fish.

Mix 1/4 cup flour with 1 Tablespoon Paprika on a large flat plate.

Mix the flour and paprika with your clean fingers until thoroughly combined.

Preheat the broiler on your oven.

With a couple of paper towels, gently pat the fish fillets to get them as dry as possible.

Coat the fish on both sides in the flour and paprika mixture.

Use your fingers to cover any little blank spots with flour.

Gently shake of any excess flour and place the fish on the oiled baking sheet.

Even though the fillets have been boned and skinned, you can tell that one side is flatter than the other. Put the fish flat side down on the tray.

Gently brush the tops of the fish with oil. Take care to just moisten the fish and not knock off any of the flour topping.

Melt 2 Tablespoon of butter in a small dish. Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice – about 1/2 a lemon to the butter.

Add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce to the lemon butter. Don’t skimp on the Tabasco. The butter keeps it from becoming overly spicy and the Tabasco lends a nice vinegar kick to the sauce.

This photo was taken pretty early in the Tabasco adding step. I added 2-3 good strong dashes of the bottle.

Finely chop or mince a few sprigs of fresh parsley.

Cook the fish under the hot broiler for 5-8 minutes. I recommend putting the fish on the oven rack second from the top. Do not turn the fish.

Depending on the heat of the broiler and the thickness of the fish, this should take only about 5 minutes. Keep a watchful eye on the fish. If it’s getting overly brown but hasn’t cooked through, move the pan to a lower oven rack for a few minutes.

Move the fish to a plate or platter and pour the Lemon Butter Sauce over the hot fish.

Top with the toasted almonds and parsley. Season with Salt & Pepper to taste. Serve at once.

Enjoy the light, mild flavor of the fish, the creamy tanginess of the butter sauce, and crunch of the nuts.

Fish with Nuts. Easy. Fast. Delicious.

Here’s the recipe:

Fish with Nuts