Psari a la Spetsiota (Baked Fish with Bread Crumbs)

Continuing with our Greek theme, I went to the library on Saturday and checked out this really neat Greek cookbook. Apparently, the author, Matthew Locricchio) has written a series of international cookbooks aimed at young people. The one I checked out was, of course, "Greece."

The recipes are very simple and easy to follow. There are glossaries and explanations of ingredients. All in all, a very helpful and informative book. You can find the amazon info on the book here.

I had 2 trout fillets in the freezer, so I thought I'd use this recipe on them. The results were outstanding!!! I will definitely do this again, and next time I will try either tilapia or grouper.

Here's the general idea:

Psari a la Spetsiota

2 pounds red snapper, cod, turbot, scrod, or other boneless fish fillets about 3/4 inch thick
1 lemon
4 ripe tomatoes, or one can of tomatoes with the juice (1 1/2 cups)
1 to 4 garlic cloves
4 to 6 parsley sprigs, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
olive oil

Rinse the fish and pat dry.
Lay fish in 13 x 9 glass baking dish.
Squeeze the juice of the lemon on the fish.
Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on each piece, cover dish with plastic and put in the fridge.
Put tomatoes and their juice in a small bowl.
Crush the garlic, then cut in thin slices. Put garlic in bowl with tomatoes.
Chop parsley and add to tomatoes.
Add a little salt and pepper to tomatoes.
Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes to fester.
Remove fish from fridge. Spoon tomato mixture evenly over fillets. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over tomato mixture and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Take fish out of oven and baste with juices. Put back in oven for another 10 minutes.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil and fresh herbs and serve!

I decided to keep things light and serve this with a Greek inspired tossed salad.

I can't wait to do this again. It is so simple, yet so rich tasting! Please, please, please try this and you will be hooked!