CRUNCHY BAKED SEA BASS
Bite Me
by Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat
What's caviar without toast points, lobster without melted butter, shrimp without cocktail sauce? Half of a perfect whole. So too is sea bass without a crisp cracker top. A firm and versatile whitefish, sea bass acts as the perfect base for lemon-garlic mayonnaise, refreshing dill and a rich buttery cracker topping.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
• 30 Ritz crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, divided in half
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 4 (8oz) sea bass fillets, skin removed
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
1) Put your oven rack in the mid-to-lower part of the oven to ensure that the crumb topping doesn't burn before the fish is cooked through.
2) Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3) In a medium bowl, combine cracker crumbs and 1 tbsp of dill. In another medium bowl, mix the remaining dill, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon juice and lemon zest.
4) Pat the fish dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Place on prepared baking sheet, spread mayonnaise mixture over the fish and press the cracker crumbs on top. Bake 13-15 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and the fish is cooked through.
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