I’m trying to eat more fish. My problem is that I like the high fat fish like salmon, and the pricy stuff like shrimp, scallops and lobster. And my favorite way to eat simple white fish is to sauce it up with tomatoes, capers and olives, but even that requires a fish that won’t fall apart, and halibut is $20/lb. Buttered breadcrumbs ain’t too shabby on cod or haddock, but it packs a caloric punch. And how many times a week can you eat tomatoes, capers and olives? So I look for interesting ways to serve up simple (and less expensive) white fish that I’ll actually look forward to eating.

The orange gave it a little je ne sais quoi.

I liked this recipe for its simplicity, but it had a couple of flaws. Don’t worry, I fixed ‘em.

Broiled White Fish with Fennel and Broccolini

1/4 cup mayonnaise (light works fine)

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, finely grated, divided

2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest, divided

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

4 (6-ounce) skinless cod, haddock or other mild white fillets

1 fennel bulb, very thinly sliced

1 bunch broccolini (broccoli rabe), trimmed, halved

1 small orange thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ tsp. dried rosemary leaves

1/4 cup sliced almonds

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix mayonnaise, red pepper flakes, 1 tsp. garlic, 1 tsp. orange zest, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a small bowl.

Toss fennel, broccolini, orange zest, oil, rosemary, remaining garlic, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam, leaving space in the center for the fish. Bake in the middle of the hot oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven.

Arrange fish fillets in the center of the vegetables on the rimmed baking sheet. Spread mayonnaise mixture over each fillet. Place orange slices over vegetables. Return to oven for 5 minutes. Turn the oven to broil.

Place baking sheet under broiler and broil until fish is golden-brown on top, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, top each fillet with almonds, then continue to broil until almonds are toasted and crisp and fish is completely cooked through, about 1 minute more.

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Obviously the good part is the mayo mixture and almonds on the fish, which can be achieved with any number of different fish and any number of different vegetables surrounding it. But I love fennel. Steve found the broccoli rabe a little bitter, so next time I’m going for green beans. And the orange gave it a little je ne sais quoi.

For all you Weight Watchers – this recipe serves 4 and is 9 Smart Points per serving. 6 Smart Points if you’re following Simply Filling.

Enjoy!

Deborah