Saucy Lemony Fish Fillets

This recipe originally was made with Nile perch, which is a fish which is both popular here in Israel and easily come by, and very tasty. If it’s not one you can find easily, halibut or snapper would substitute well here. The point is that they are “meaty” fish and they are filling which is what we want here, don’t use a more delicate fish which will be overwhelmed by the flavors.

This is a recipe which I had gotten many years ago from a friend and all my kids know it as “Lance fish”. It has stood the test of time and is still a favorite in my house. While Nile perch is delicious, it’s important to soak it in lemon water in order to remove the “fishiness” which I personally don’t care for and neither do DH or my kids. This works well for any “fishy” fish. This is simple enough to do, you simply use one part lemon juice (fresh is best but bottled will do) to about three parts water and after rinsing off the fish and removing the tough outer skin (there’s always some on there, rip it off or slice off with a very sharp knife, carefully), plunk into its lemon water bath.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. The fish should soak 15-30 minutes. The longer soak gives a more lemony flavor and also will make the fish a bit firmer.

Next gather the sauce ingredients.

Take the mayonnaise, crushed garlic, tomato sauce, lemon juice and if you have a fresh lemon, the grated peel (adds great flavor but you can manage without it if need be) and the salt. Put all into a bowl and whisk till smooth.

Spill off the lemon liquid from the fish (don’t save it, you are getting rid of the fishiness this way) and if you want the fish in smaller chunks, now’s the time to chunk them. After sitting in the lemon juice water they are firmer and easier to slice, then place the fish in a parchment lined baking pan.

Pour the sauce ingredients over the fish.

Don’t worry, you’re not drowning the fish, hmm weird pun there, rather the entire fish is completely coated with the sauce and will ensure greater flavor. If you can leave it to sit for 15 minutes even better. Otherwise, pop into the hot oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or till the top of the fish is nicely browned. The texture is more like meat than fish.

I like to serve this removed from the sauce with a slotted spatula so that the excess drips away and plate it on a bed of bulgur, couscous or rice.

This works as an appetizer or a main depending how generously you serve it.

Saucy Lemony Fish Fillets

4-6 big fillets of Nile perch, Snapper or Halibut
Juice of 1 lemon, or 1/4-1/3 cup lemon juice
3/4-1 cup water

For sauce:
1 cup mayonnaise
2/3 cup tomato sauce
2 heaping teaspoons crushed garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated zest (peel) of one lemon
a sprinkling of salt to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

First rinse the fish and if there’s any scales on it, best to rip it off when fish is still mostly frozen- it’ll come right off, or slice off with very sharp knife, carefully. If using a fresh lemon, zest the lemon only grating the yellow part, not the bitter white pith, and set zest aside.
Juice the lemon and squeeze onto the fish, or use lemon juice and then make lemon water- exactly like what it sounds, pour water over the fish and lemon juice to cover- let sit 15 minutes to 30 minutes.

Next make the sauce. In a bowl, whisk together the mayo, tomato sauce, crushed garlic, lemon juice, grated lemon peel and a bit of salt till smooth.

Remove fish from lemon water and spill off the liquid. Cut fish into portions if you wish. Lay on parchment paper in baking pan and pour the sauce all over the fish. Let sit 15 minutes (if possible). Place in hot oven and bake 30-40 minutes or until fish is browned on top and cooked through. Nice served on rice, couscous or bulgur. I remove the fish with a slotted spoon so its excess sauce drips away.