Parmesan Pine Nut Breaded Fillets

Seafood sustainability awareness is just starting to become mainstream – and I am glad as I’ve been a proponent for years now!  Making the wrong choice (usually the cheap stuff from overseas – common in grocery stores and restaurants) rewards irresponsible parties greedily pillaging endangered species and ecosystems for fast cash.

The problems are complicated and cannot be answered simply – even many of the ‘experts’ don’t agree and give conflicting information. To make things worse, propagandists plague us with their version of the ‘facts’ (which often leave out the facts), creating incorrect impressions and more confusion.  If you would like to learn more, I strongly suggest the book “The End of the Line” by Charles Clover or peek at websites such as Monterey Bay Aquarium or Blue Ocean – but keep in mind, even their facts can be clouded by misinformation and the complexity of issues.  Alright, enough of that; off of the soapbox and onto the recipe…

This simple dish is perfect for daylight savings time (get it, saving daylight… ha ha… oh well…), this recipe is quick, healthy and delicious – buon appetito!

Breaded fish fillets baked over veggies – a quick and tasty dish for cooking almost any boneless fillets of fresh fish.   I suggest Colorado hybrid striped bass, walleye, trout, steelhead, char, perch or tilapia.4-6 green onions, sliced on a bias
8 oz sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4-1/2 bell pepper, sliced 1/4 x 1/2 inch
1 TBS minced fresh oregano, or herbs of your choice
2 TBS white wine or stock
1 tsp Tony’s Tuscan Grill Seasoning, separated, to taste
(or sea salt, pepper and a medley of Italian herbs)
2 TBS olive oil and/or melted butter2-3 serving sized pieces of boneless fish fillets

2 TBS Parmigiano Reggiano
1/3 cup Tony’s Tuscan or other Italian breadcrumbs
2 TBS pine nuts
2 TBS olive oil and/or melted butter
Fresh lemon wedges and 1 TBS minced parsley.

Preheat oven to 400-425° F. Position rack in top half of oven.

Combine sliced onions, mushrooms, peppers, herbs, wine and 1/2 tsp seasoning (or more to taste) with olive oil and/or melted butter and toss to coat evenly. Spread evenly on a flat roasting pan to create a bed for the fish fillets (lining pan with parchment will ease cleaning). Place fish fillets on top of the veggies, skin side down.

Combine the remaining 1/2 tsp Tony’s Tuscan seasoning with the parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and pine nuts and then toss with 2 TBS olive oil and/or melted butter to moisten evenly. Spread crumb mixture over the fillets and place in the top half of preheated oven.

Roast until the fish is flaky and veggies are done – 7-10 minutes – check and rotate pan several times – if browning too quickly, tent with foil for the last few minutes.  Using the convection fan will increase browning.

Serve fish on top of the veggies with fresh lemon wedges and a sprinkle of fresh minced parsley. Perfectly paired with brown rice or pasta and a second veggie.  (May I suggest serving this over pasta tossed in our Tony’s Vodka Sauce and our Italian Roasted Vegetables on the side.) Serves 2-3.