Ingredients:
2 small Mahi Mahi fillets(I took one frozen fillet from Costco, defrosted it, and sliced it into two small fillets.)
(Honestly, any competent whitefish would probably do.)
1 small tomato, cubed
1 medium shallot, sliced
(Or dice some onion)
3 leaves of fresh basil, chopped
1 slice heavy bread (homemade?)
3 or 4 sprigs parsley
⅓ cup shredded Parmesan
salt & pepper
olive oil.
Optional:
a couple of garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme
a tiny bit of hot (habañero or cayenne) pepper.
Instructions:
Defrost fish. Bring it to room temperature. Rub/brush with
olive oil. Salt & pepper to taste.
Heat a skillet (cast iron is fine) to medium high. Add olive
oil. Optional: add garlic halves and thyme sprigs to the oil and stir gently
for several seconds. Add fish to (seasoned) oil: sixty seconds only on each
side: the goal is color, not completely cooking. Remove from frying pan to a
baking tray, lined if you prefer. Preheat oven to 350º.
Add to the hot frying pan: diced tomatoes and shallots. If
you used the optional garlic and thyme, consider mashing the garlic now and removing the thyme sprigs, and
stripping them of leaves. Re-add thyme leaves to the pan when the tomatoes are partly
done, with the chopped basil. Remove from heat. Optional: add a touch of hot pepper here. Just a touch.
Mix bread crumbs together with parsley and Parmesan cheese
in food processor until they’re mixed well and small pieces.
Divide the tomato-shallot salsa among the fish fillets.
Layer generously. Cover with bread crumb mixture. Press bread crumbs onto the
fish, and add a little more loosely on top.
Bake at 350 for 5 – 7 minutes. Finish by broiling for 2 or 3
minutes to get a nice brown top.
