Pan Fried Fish w/ Lemon Almond Crumble & Asparagus

I absolutely love nut crusted fish.  There is something about delicate fish with a nutty crunchy coating that sends me straight into culinary heaven.  For some, the process of creating a nut encrusted meal is a long messy process.  For myself, after experimenting with several different ways to use nuts with fish and I specifically created this recipe for the busy no-fuss cook.  In less than 15 minutes, you can serve yourself and your loved ones a simple gourmet meal.  Stick with a mild flavored wild caught fish for this dish.  I like rock-fish, but in a pinch tilapia will do just fine.  Enjoy!

Fresh fish with a lemony almond crumble:  simple and delicious!

Ingredients (serves 4):
4 filets of wild caught fish, a mild white fish works best (I used Rock-fish)
4-5tbs butter
2tbs extra virgin olive oil
pinch thyme
1/2c unsalted roasted almonds, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
sea salt, to taste
1 large bunch asparagus

Directions:
1. Preheat your broiler and place the rack about 6 inches from heat.
2. Wash and trim your asparagus, toss with 1tbs olive oil and spread on a foil lined baking sheet.  Place under the broiler and cook until crisp tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes (flip half way though).
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1tbs butter and 1tbs olive oil over medium high heat.
4. Season fish with a bit of salt and a pinch of thyme.
5. Place fish into the skillet and pan fry until golden on one side, about 3 minutes.  Flip and cook on the remaining side until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes more.
6. While the fish is cooking, melt the remaining 3tbs butter in a small dish.  Stir in lemon juice.
7. Melt a bit more butter into a small skillet or sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add the almonds and stir until coated. Pour half of the lemon-butter mixture into the small pan and stir well.  Add another pinch of thyme, a few pinches of lemon zest, and a bit of salt.  Cook and stir until the liquid is reduced.
8. When the asparagus is done, drizzle with the remaining lemon-butter.  Top with lemon zest.
9. Serve a plate with some asparagus.  Top with a fillet of fish and pour a quarter of the almond lemon crumble over each fish.  Serve hot and enjoy!

Pan Fried Rockfish with Olive Medley

I found some wonderfully fresh wild-caught-rockfish at Whole Foods and was inspired to make it Greek style by pan frying it in a bit of butter & topping it with a medley of chopped olives and cilantro.  The sweet delicate fish tastes almost perfect with a pat of butter and lemon while the brined olives bring in saltiness and the cilantro makes the whole thing pop with freshness.  This dish takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and it tastes gourmet.  Now that's my kinda meal!

A beautiful fresh dish that is easy to make and tastes fabulous!

Ingredients (Serves 1):
1-3oz rockfish fillet
1/2tbs organic butter
1/4tsp minced garlic
a sprinkle of Italian seasoning
a sprinkle of sea salt
1 lemon wedge
4 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1 large green olive, chopped
2tbs chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Heat your butter in a saute pan just large enough to fit your fish over medium high heat.  Add your minced garlic and cook for a minute, making sure it doesn't burn.  Sprinkle your fish with Italian seasoning and sea salt and add it to the pan.  Cook about 3 minutes per side (more for a larger fillet) or until done.  At then end of cooking add a squeeze of lemon.
2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine olives and cilantro.
3. Serve fish with chopped olive medley on top.  Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:
1 serving = 1 3oz fillet of rockfish topped with olive medley
Calories: 193
Fat: 13g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 19g
Sodium ~ 600mg

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