Almond Crusted Mahi-Mahi

I remember my 20th birthday:  My parents took me to Duke's in Huntington Beach, California and I ordered a nut crusted fish.  I have been hooked ever since.  Coating a mild flavored fish with nuts and lemon is foolproof way to make any meal elegant.  I used almonds over mahi-mahi because it is my favorite, but almost any other fish would work in this easy 15 minute recipe.  I served mine with  Balsamic Roasted Fall Vegetables.

Almonds, lemon and thyme flavor this delicate fish without overpowering it

 Ingredients:
1lb skinless mahi-mahi or other mild flavored fish, cut into 4-4oz servings
1/2c raw almonds
1 lemon, zest the entire lemon and juice half of the lemon reserved
1tsp dried thyme
1tsp sea salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste
1tbs olive oil
1tbs dijonaisse
1tbs stone ground brown mustard

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.
2. In a food processor, combine almonds, lemon zest, thyme, salt and pepper.  Grind until coarsely chopped (If you don't have a processor, you can chop by hand but if you are lazy like me go buy one!).  Add in olive oil and mix until combined.
3. In a small bowl, combine both mustards and lemon juice.
4. Place fish on the prepared baking sheet.  Top each with an even amount of dijon lemon sauce.  Then evenly mound the almond mixture on top of each fish fillet.  Press down gently.
5. Bake in the oven about 10 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

I served mine with some roasted fall vegetables to celebrate the cooler weather:  enjoy!