Fish with Garlic, Lemon and Basil Crust

A delicious and easy way to bake your fish! The crust is very crunchy and light. I like to prepare salmon this way. This recipe is easily doubled.

For 2 servings:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 cup of panko or whole wheat bread crumbs

the zest of 1 medium sized lemon, freshly grated

1/4 cup of Pecorino or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves finely julienned (cut crosswise)

1 lb of firm fish filet with the skin on (I used salmon, in photo above)

1 pinch of freshly ground black pepper

the juice of the lemon that you used for the zest

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly oil a flat oven-proof baking dish large enough to bake the fish.

Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan.

Add the minced garlic to the heated oil and just saute it until for about a minute. Then quickly stir in the breadcrumbs and lemon zest and saute until the mixture is crispy and golden, about another minute or two. Stir in the julienned basil leaves and saute for another minute.

Pour the breadcrumb mixture into a medium sized mixing bowl.

Stir in the grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Set the bowl to the side.

Place the fish filets skin side down in the baking dish. Pour the lemon juice over the filets. Then spread the bread crumb mixture evenly over the top of the filets, and press lightly so that the mixture stays on top of them.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the filets for 10 minutes. Then uncover the dish and continue to bake until the filets are golden and the flesh flakes easily with a fork, about 10 or 15 minutes.

Serve with a salad, for example the Fig with Prosciutto and Spring Greens without the Prosciutto and brown rice or quinoa.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe in "Moosewood Restaurant Favorites: the 250 Most-Requested, Naturally Delicious Recipes from One of America's Best-Loved Restaurants"