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Crisp Parmigiano Fish
Served with spinach and onions
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Serves 4
Prep time: 25 minutes Total time: 50 minutes |
- 2 lbs. baby spinach
- 4 medium yellow onions
- 1 bunch flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
- 1 lemon
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsps. whole milk
- 6 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1-1/2 -1-3/4 lbs. white fish fillets, without skin
- 1 loaf crusty bread
Shopping List
- Black pepper
- Canola oil
- Hot paprika
- Sea salt
- Unbleached, all-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter
Pantry Items
- 9X13 baking dish
- Bread knife
- Chef’s knife
- Cooling rack
- Heavy skillet
- Large stockpot or pasta pot
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Paring knife
- Spatula
- Strainer
- Tongs
- Wax paper
- Whisk
- Wooden spoons
Tools
- Wine: A Sancerre or a light Chardonnay
- Dessert: Assorted cookies and sorbet
Suggestions
- When you walk in the door
- Preheat the oven to 500F
- Get out Pantry Items
- Get out Tools
- Assemble the ingredients
- Open the wine
- Prep
- Rinse the fish fillets, check for bones and remove any you find. Cut the fillets into 4 equal pieces and return to the refrigerator.
- Peel and dice the onions.
- Rinse and pat dry the parsley. Pluck 1/4 cup leaves.
- Cut the lemon in half.
- In a shallow bowl or on a piece of waxed paper, mix together 6 tbsps. Parmigiano, 2 tbsps. flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper and 1/2 tsp. hot paprika (if you like some spice!).
- Whisk together the egg and the 2 tbsps. milk in a shallow bowl.
- Start Cooking
- Melt 2 tbsps. butter in the heavy skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions, stir, reduce the heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, cover and cook until the onions are translucent but not golden, 10 minutes or so.
- While the onions are cooking, rinse the spinach and remove the stems if necessary. Put the spinach in a stockpot.
- Take a minute to set the table, pour yourself a glass of wine, and slice the bread.
- Using one hand, dip a piece of fish into the milk and egg mixture, turning it if necessary so it is coated. Let the excess drip off, then put the fish into the flour and Parmigiano mixture and turn it so it is entirely coated. You may want to press on the dry coating to make sure it sticks. Set the fish on a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining fish. Refrigerate.
- Stir the onions.
- Put the stockpot with the spinach in it over medium-high heat. When you hear sizzling, turn down the heat to medium, turn the spinach with tongs a couple of times and cook until it is wilted, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir the onions. If they are starting to brown, reduce the heat.
- Mince the parsley leaves and stir them into the onions.
- Transfer the spinach to a strainer set in the sink.
- Spread 2 tbsps. oil in the baking dish and put it in the oven to heat for 5 minutes. Lay the fillets in the dish and put them in the oven for 5-7 minutes, until they are opaque through. (To check, cut into a fillet at the thickest part and look). Remember the fillets will cook a bit more after you remove them from the oven.
- Press firmly on the spinach in the sink.
- Remove the onions from the heat. Taste for seasoning.
- Divide the spinach among 4 warm plates. Squeeze some lemon juice (through your fingers) over the spinach.
- Carefully transfer the fillets to the spinach on the plate. Cover each with an equal amount of onions. Garnish each plate with a parsley sprig. Dinner is ready.
