Roasted Fish With Lemon, Sesame and Herb Breadcrumbs
Trout is an ideal weeknight dinner because its thin fillets cook in minutes. All it really needs is some butter and lemon, but an herb-panko mixture adds freshness and crunch. The breadcrumb mixture is inspired by za’atar, a spice blend that includes sesame seeds, dried herbs and tart-citrusy sumac. Using fresh thyme and oregano instead of dried herbs, and lemon zest in place of dried sumac yields a brighter final dish. If you want to use dried za’atar, swap in 3 tablespoons of the blend for the first four ingredients. Serve the fish alongside rice, a green salad, boiled potatoes or braised chickpeas. The fish roasts in about the same time as string beans, broccolini or snap peas would, so you can also roast vegetables on a second baking sheet while the fish cooks.
- Total:
- Serves: 4 persons
Ingredients
- 2tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped
- 2teaspoons lemon zest, lemon cut into wedges for serving
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1cup panko bread crumbs
- 4tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 4(4 to 6-ounce) trout fillets or 2 whole butterflied trout
Instructions
Step 1
Heat the oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine the sesame seeds, thyme, oregano, lemon zest, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Rub the mixture between your fingers until the herbs are bruised and fragrant. Stir in the bread crumbs and butter until combined.Step 2
Season the trout with salt and pepper and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, skin-side down. Spoon the bread crumbs evenly over the fish and bake until the fish is opaque and the bread crumbs are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges alongside.