Fresh fish, trout pictured here, seasoned simply with salt, pepper, Cajun seasoning and Old Bay, drizzled with butter and dusted with lemon zest, baked and garnished with sliced green onion and fresh parsley. Works well with many fish. Served here with Southern style green beans and parslied potatoes.
Baked Fish
You'll notice that despite being a Mississippi Gulf Coast gal, you don't see a lot of recipes on here for fish. It's not because we don't eat it - we do! Every chance we get. While Mondays are always red beans and rice here in the Deep South, Fridays mean fish, or at least seafood of some kind, thanks to our heavy Catholic population and abundant access to it.Heck, I'm not even above cleaning them, and the basic rule is that if you catch them, you clean them, and well... it's not a pretty job, though the end result is, of course, fabulous. If you're too skittish for all that, the local fishmongers will sell them to you already cleaned and filleted.
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If the only fish you've ever eaten comes in a box or plastic bag from the freezer section of your grocery store though, and you've never had a fresh caught fish right out of our own Gulf, well... you haven't really eaten fish in my little ole humble opinion.
First off, the majority of those cheap frozen fish y'all are buying aren't even from the good ole U.S. of A. and not a single one of them can hold a candle to the taste of a wild caught fish gotten off the shores of the United States. Flip the package and somewhere there on the bottom back of your package, you'll find the country of origin. Ten to one, I'm guessing you'll find an Asian source. It's apples and oranges as far as quality and taste go, and I guarantee you one thing for true - our Gulf Coast fish is superb.
If you ever come here to any of the states along the Gulf Coast, and most especially my home state of Mississippi, I insist that you find a restaurant that serves Gulf seafood. There are, sadly, some here who do not.
The Cajun and I recently went to a new restaurant, right on the Biloxi beach, and we were sadly disappointed. My husband's shrimp po'boy was made with {gasp} tiny, popcorn shrimp, of all things, the soft shell crabs on my po'boy were minuscule and frankly tasteless and while luckily, the oysters seemed to be fresh, they sure didn't know how to properly shuck them and it wasn't even done in front, at the bar, but somewhere in the recesses of the restaurant kitchen. That is not a representation of our amazing Gulf seafood by any means.
Luckily, as of this writing, we are in the midst of the "Summer of Seafood" sponsored by the Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association. Note: I have no affiliation with them. Through August 15, 2014 they are running a Mississippi Gulf Seafood Trail campaign - "40 restaurants, 62 miles of Mississippi coastline, one great seafood adventure."
Find out more by visiting their website where you can search for restaurants according to what your current seafood crave is, simply browse through them, and get social to find out when to share your #seafoodselfie for a chance to win prizes! Visit these restaurants to ensure that you are indeed being served bonafide seafood, right from our Gulf of Mexico.
While just like everybody else, I truly enjoy fish pan-seared or fried and topped with rich seafood sauces, stuffed with a blend of crab and shrimp, and, of course, fried, my most favorite way to eat fresh fish from the Gulf is like this - baked, nicely seasoned with a little salt, fresh cracked pepper, Old Bay, some Cajun seasoning, a little fresh parsley and green onion, pure butter and fresh lemon. That's it and it's how I prepare fresh fish most often - it's easy and it's tasty.
Here's how I do it.
These are some beautiful speckled trout fillets - my favorite fish! I use this method for all kinds of fish and fillets though. Because this was fish that I purchased fresh but had something interfere with my preparing them right away, I froze them. I like to soak fish in milk or buttermilk for about an hour anytime that they are frozen because it seems to kinda help bring them back to life. This is helpful for any frozen fish really, especially those packaged ones that are sort of "fishy" when you open them. If you're using any kind of frozen fish, do this milk soak first.
When you're ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Brush a foil lined baking sheet with olive oil. Drain fish, pat dry and place onto the baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, Old Bay and Cajun seasoning; set aside.
Mix olive oil with melted butter. Brush trout with the half of the olive oil butter blend, reserving the remainder. Sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly on top.
Use a microplane to zest a lemon on top of the fish and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for approximately 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish is mostly opaque throughout, taking care not to overcook. Use the tip of a sharp knife to barely cut into the thickest part of the fish to check. Actual time will be dependent on the size and thickness of the fillets.
Drizzle reserved butter mixture on top of each fillet, sprinkle with green onion and parsley; serve immediately.
These make excellent fish for tacos too, by the way.
Disclaimer: I'm not at all affiliated with the MHRA, the Mississippi Seafood Trail or any of the associated restaurants. I'm just an immensely proud Biloxi girl who has loved our Gulf seafood all of my life and I want you to know where to go when you visit our beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast to ensure that you receive the real deal, fresh from the Gulf, when you order seafood here.
For more of my favorite fish recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!
Baked Fish
Yield: About 4 to 6 servings
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Fresh fish, seasoned simply, drizzled with butter and dusted with lemon zest, baked and garnished with sliced green onion and fresh parsley. Works well with many fish.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 large speckled trout fillets or other whitefish*
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (like Slap Ya Mama) {affil link}, or to taste, optional
- Zest of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon sliced green onion
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Brush a foil lined baking sheet with olive oil. Drain fish, pat dry and place onto the baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, Old Bay and Cajun seasoning; set aside.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil with melted butter. Brush trout with the half of the olive oil butter blend, reserving the remainder. Sprinkle seasoning mixture evenly on top.
- Use a microplane to zest lemon on top of the fish and bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees F for approximately 8 to 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish is mostly opaque throughout and flakes easily, taking care not to overcook.
- Test in the thickest part of the fillet with the tip of a sharp knife. Actual time will be dependent on the size and thickness of the fillets.
- Drizzle reserved butter mixture on top of each fillet, sprinkle with green onion and parsley; serve immediately.
Notes:
If you're using frozen fish or fresh fish that you've frozen, cover in milk and refrigerate for an hour to freshen it before cooking. *This is also a suitable method for many different fish fillets including catfish, flounder, cod, halibut, perch, tilapia and other similar whitefish.
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