Fish for Dinner: Baked White Fish Fillets with Butter, Sherry and Parsley

Baked California White Sea Bass Fillets with Butter, Sherry & Parsley

The Fish for Dinner feature chronicles my education in the ways of fish-cookery. I grew up avoiding fish other than sticks and was well into adulthood before adding the real deal into my diet, usually at a restaurant. The impetus to cook more fish at home comes from joining a sustainable fish program through Hooked on Fish, like a CSA that delivers boxes of farm-fresh produce but with seafood instead. I’ll tell you what we made and how we liked it, plus a few tips and fishin’ tunes too.

The Occasion: Cooking a nice dinner for my mother-in-law who had just recovered from a too-long period of being under the weather. Healthy food cooked simply but a little nicer than chicken soup in the microwave. Call it a “Glad You’re Well Again” dinner. “Happy to be Out & About” works too.

We received some lovely California White Sea Bass from Hooked on Fish that week – a perfect fit for the easy/yummy/did I say easy recipe from Food52 that I stumbled across. With only 5 ingredients and 20 minutes (give or take) you’ve got a main dish that’s fit for the Queen Mother.

​Keep reading for the recipe, more photos, a little music, and The Verdict. 

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The Menu:

• Appetizer: Grilled Camembert with Cherries & Rosemary, served with crackers
• Main course: Baked California White Sea Bass with Butter, Sherry and Parsley
• Served with brown rice pilaf with mixed seeds and grains; and grilled asparagus

​No need for dessert, this was plenty.

The Verdict: Excellent flavors! The butter and sherry that the fish cooks in turns into a lovely sauce which is better than the sum of its parts. Do watch the cooking time carefully and test the fish for doneness. I overcooked mine just a bit. Nothing that a nice squeeze of lemon couldn’t fix though. 

The best part? Serving my MIL at my table again. This is an easy dish with the potential to make you and your guests very happy indeed.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them and read the captions.

Printable Recipe- Baked White Fish Fillets with Butter, Sherry and Parsley
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Baked White Fish Fillets with Butter, Sherry & Parsley
Recipe source: James Peterson via Food52
 
This 5-ingredient, 20-minute recipe works well with any firm-fleshed, non-oily white fish such as sole, cod, sea bass, or rockfish. The dish makes its own sauce while the fish cooks. Glad to know I’m not the only one multi-tasking around here!
 
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ½ to 2 pound white fish fillets (select fish that is in season, firm-fleshed, and non-oily)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, herb butter, or extra-virgin olive oil PLUS extra to grease the pan
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• Lemon wedges, optional

 
DIRECTIONS:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Pull any pin bones out of the fish and sprinkle the fillets with salt and pepper.
• Rub the bottom of a square casserole just large enough to hold the fillets in a single layer with a tablespoon of butter or olive oil. Arrange the fillets in an even layer in the pan.
• Dot the tops of the fillets with butter (or sprinkle with olive oil). Sprinkle with the sherry and parsley.
• Bake for about 12 minutes per inch of thickness. Check for doneness by cutting into a fillet at the thickest part to see if it’s opaque inside and flakes apart.
• Serve fillets on hot plates. Spoon the melted butter and juices from the pan over the fillets. Serve immediately, with an optional wedge of lemon on the side.