oven roasted dijon white fish with lemon-garlic spring vegetables

I used Orange Roughy for this dish, but as it’s not a terribly sustainable fish, I’d go with another firm-fleshed white fish -–see below for examples. Cooking times may vary by a few minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets. While the mélange of chopped spring vegetables is among my very own favorites, if you’ve little time, go with only chopped asparagus, upping the amount to a pound and a half or even two.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Resting time2

Total Time32

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Lemon-Garlic Vinaigrette, divided (recipe below)
Vegetables: 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced; Fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced; 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 1/3 – 1 ½ pounds firm white fish Alaska pollock, catfish, grouper, haddock, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, Pacific rockfish
Extra virgin olive oil
Panko Topping for fish (recipe below)
Lemon wedges and cherry tomatoes for serving

Instructions

PREP: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Set the rack in the lower third of the oven, just below the center. Grease or line with foil a rimmed sheet pan for the vegetables and a smaller pan or ¼-sheet pan for the fish. Set pans aside.
VEGETABLES: In a medium bowl, toss chopped vegetables with half of the vinaigrette (you’ll use the other half for serving) and pour them out evenly onto the greased sheet pan. Sprinkle with a ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper. Set aside.
FISH: Pat the fish fillets dry on both sides and sprinkle one side with salt and pepper. Place the fish seasoned side down onto the smaller greased pan. Sprinkle the other side with a little more salt and pepper; drizzle each with ½ teaspoon of olive oil. If your fillets have thin ends, tuck them under so they don’t overcook. Spoon ¼ cup or more of the Panko topping on top of fillets making sure to cover each evenly and completely. Pat the crumbs gently down onto the fish. Some crumbs will fall between the fillets into the pan and that’s ok.
ROAST THE VEGETABLES AND FISH in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until fish is just opaque and nearly firm (145 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer) and vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove from oven and let rest two minutes.
SERVING: Divide the fish and vegetables between the plates and serve hot with remaining lemon-garlic vinaigrette, a wedge of lemon, and a few cherry tomatoes.

LEMON-GARLIC VINAIGRETTE

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (juice of two lemons)
2 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed, and minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
In a 1-cup measuring cup, whisk together all but the olive oil. Drizzle the oil in slowly, whisking until thoroughly combined.

PANKO TOPPING FOR FISH:

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons each: Dijon-style mustard and minced parsley
¼ teaspoon each: kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together very well.