Lovely Lemon Fish

Lovely Lemon Fish, just in time for spring

I am a true child of the water. Wasn't born near water (I was born here in Austin). Hardly ever lived close enough to water to be in it whenever I wanted. And yet, I am drawn to water. And I truly love fish, shrimp, crab, lobster... When Bonni and I were talking about the Gems newsletter for this month, it seemed a good time to enjoy an old favorite fish recipe to go along with our Lemon Pepper Linguine.  I've called it Lovely Lemon Fish because "oh, you know, that fish thing you make" just didn't seem like much of a name.

You'll need:

2 4-ounce fish fillets. Go for something mild and light, but not too thin

2 teaspoons olive oil


For sauce;
1/2 c salted butter
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2-3 drops of Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 green onion, chopped
1 small, fresh, ripe tomato, seeded and chopped 


To cook the fish: rub the fillets with olive oil and lay flat in a baking dish. Bake at 450 degrees until just about done, 15 minutes or so. You really have to judge the time on this based on how thick your fish is. A lot of people will tell you to cook the fish until it flakes. Please don't. Once it's that done, by the time you put it on the plate, pour a hot sauce on it and get everyone seated, your fish will be over-cooked. Have faith in the carry-over cooking that will happen whether you believe in it or not. 

The sauce is too simple: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, stir in garlic, hot sauce and lemon juice and simmer for a minute on medium heat (don't burn your butter!) Just before you pull the fish out, stir in onions and tomato, cook until hot and let it all hang out together. 

Serve your fish on a plate of lemon pepper linguine tossed with olive oil. Top the fish with you sauce. Serve this with a bright spring green salad and dinner is set!