Baked Fish Fillets with Practically Paleo Pesto

Prep: 15 minutes / Cooking: 3 to 25 minutes / Yield: 4 to 6 servings

You don’t need cheese to make a great pesto. This recipe relies on a delicious, dairy-free, lower salt pesto recipe that can be added before cooking or at the table. If you can’t eat nuts, try Practically Paleo Pistou, the nut-free French version of the pesto recipe.

Note: If strong fishy fragrances put you or your loved ones off, avoid using ocean perch or red snapper or turn your air purifier on high! Also consider using a diffuser with lemon essential oil or boiling lemon peels in a pot of water to clear the air after cooking fish.

Ingredients

Extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or unrefined coconut oil to grease the baking pan
1½ pounds white meat fish fillets (2 large or 4 to 6 smaller fillets), ½- to 1½-inches thick: deep sea dory, orange roughy, cod, flounder, sea trout, grouper, scrod (baby fish), sole, pollock, red snapper, ocean perch, wild salmon, or Arctic char
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
½ teaspoon finely ground, unrefined sea salt, optional
¼ to ⅓ cup Practically Paleo Pesto or Pistou

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 ̊ F for ½-inch thick fillets, 400 ̊ F if thicker. Lightly oil a shallow baking pan or line with unbleached parchment paper.
Rinse fish, pat dry, place in pan(s). Sprinkle with pepper. Spread at least half the pesto or pistou over fillets.
Bake ¼-inch thick fillets 3 to 4 minutes; ½-inch thick fillets, 8 to 10 minutes; fillets up to 1-inch thick, 15 to 20 minutes; 1½-inch thick or thicker pieces, about 30 minutes. Thin fillets are done when outside appears opaque or thinnest part flakes apart when separated with a fork.
Spread additional pesto or pistou over 1-inch or thicker fillets after 10 minutes. Cook until firm to the touch, a thin-bladed knife inserts easily, or flesh is opaque throughout.
Promptly remove fish from oven and serve. Refrigerate leftovers and use within 2 days.

Variation

Baked Fish Fillets with Quick Herb Paste: Substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil mixed with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (any combination of parsley, chervil, basil, chives, or thyme) and 1 or 2 finely minced cloves of garlic for pesto or pistou. Quarter 1 lemon for garnish.

Reprinted with permission from The Garden of Eating: A Produce-Dominated Diet & Cookbook by Rachel Albert-Matesz and Don Matesz (Planetary Press, 2004).

Check out other Rachel Albert recipes:

Practically Paleo Pesto or Pistou

Twice Cooked Greens with Onions and Celery

Cinnamon Spice Tea

Creamy Carrot Soup with Ginger