Barramundi White Fish with Mushrooms and Browned Butter

I hate to say it, but it is not often I attract manservant’s attention. The banana cake did it and this fish did, too. Seems kind of funny that this simple preparation of fish and mushrooms would catch his eye-but it did. And that is a good thing, because this is really quick and easy to prepare. Perfect for a busy day when one is too tired to do much cooking. I love baked fish because rarely does it come out dry. Fish cooked properly is moist and succulent, which is exactly what this fish is.

Feel free to use your favorite fish fillets. I use my standby frozen barramundi fillets from Costco. I can have them thawed and ready to go in about 25 minutes by just putting the pouch they come in,into a sink of cold water. Works like a charm. Barramundi is known as an Asian sea bass and is firm, flaky, moist, and mild in flavor. It is very popular in Australia where Aboriginal drawings of barramundi have been found plus it is ecofriendly, and can be farmed.

Besides barramundi, Costco also had chanterelle mushrooms fresh and ready for me to buy. They were reasonably priced and the girl standing next to me was buying a lot of them. She was turning them into pierogies and was prepared. I, on the other hand, was still contemplating what to do with them. Tonight we are having mushroom soup with the remainder and I can’t wait. Now this fish was good and healthy and a great weeknight meal but give me some rich, luscious wild mushroom soup and I will follow you anywhere. Today though we are focusing on an easy, quick dinner entree, right?

So here goes:

 

Baked White Fish with Mushrooms and Browned Butter  Serves 2

1 T butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 lb mushrooms (I usually try to mix these up a bit. I try to use some portabellas, or creminis, some dried reconstituted shitakes, and in this case I used  fresh chanterelles.)
2 green onions chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
2 T minced Italian parsley
1/4 c white wine
1/4 t thyme or a few fresh sprigs
1 lb white fish fillets or 2 fillets of barramundi
2 T panko bread crumbs
2 T grated parmesan cheese
2 T browned butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat butter and olive oil in oven proof skillet. Add onions and garlic and saute over medium high heat until fragrant. Add sliced mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms release their juice or until cooked through.  Now add parsley, white wine and thyme. Simmer until just a bit of liquid remains. This won’t take long.

Push mushroom mixture to the side and grease bottom of skillet. It may already be oiled enough. Lay fish fillets in skillet and place mushroom mixture on top. Place bread crumbs on top of mushrooms and sprinkle parmesan cheese over all. Drizzle with about 1 T of olive oil.

Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

While fish is baking throw 2 T butter into a small pot. Melt the butter over medium high heat until it starts to sputter. That will stop when the butter is browned. The smell is intoxicating! And be careful not to over brown it, in which case it will be burnt butter!

When fish is finished cooking, drizzle with browned butter. You could also skip it, in which case your fish will be healthier but browned butter takes most anything over the top! I served this on a bed of sauteed chard that contained garlic, and hazelnuts. A serving of grains would work well with this, too!

 

Others you should try:
Moroccan Fish with Chickpeas, Lentils and Saffron Aioli
Tuscan Beans and Potatoes
Teriyaki Farro
Freekeh
Mexican Style Quinoa