Mallorcan Almonds: Fish Recipe

I was lucky enough to be in Majorca when the almond trees are in bloom. These lovely white flowers (photo taken by my friend Liz) were everywhere and so were almonds. Here is my favorite fish recipe. You can use other nuts (walnuts are fine) for the crust, but almonds work really well. Although we can't get Mallorcan almonds, luckily almonds are readily available here in the US all year long.

Perfect Simple Almond-Crusted Fish Recipe

2 egg whites or the equivalent (I buy the kind in a container so I don't waste eggs)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup chopped almonds

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

zest of one lemon, and the juice of 1 small lemon

2 teaspoons cornstarch

pepper to taste

olive oil

1 to 1 1/4 pounds of filet (lighter fish work best for this recipe-halibut, monkfish, even red snapper; whatever is firm and fresh)

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Blend egg whites, cornstarch, lemon juice in a small bowl.

Combine zest, bread crumbs, almonds, parsley, salt and pepper in a bowl or pan big enough to put the filets. Dip each filet into the egg mixture. Coat both sides. Then dip into the bread crumb mixture. SET ASIDE for a few minutes to allow the coating to set.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a big pan. When the oil is hot, saute each piece of fish on both sides until brown. A minute or two on each side is perfect. Remove and put the fish on a baking sheet covered lightly with oil. Drizzle the tops with oil lightly and bake for 17 to twenty minutes until the fish is crispy and brown on the outside and light and flaky on the inside.

Serves 3 or 4 depending on your side dishes.

As a vegetable, serve with asparagus topped with (what else?) slivered ALMONDS.