Sizzling Fish

This is a dish that we like almost as much as fish candy. It's called sizzling flounder, and I originally read the recipe in Southern Living. The name might be flounder; however, we have never had flounder in our local store. So we have to use an alternative. The recipe lists tilapia, grouper, or catfish as good alternatives. We have used both tilapia and catfish. Tonight was a tilapia night.

You will need:
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 t. paprika
2-4 shakes of cayenne (optional)
4 (~6 oz.) fish filets
1/2 c. butter
2 T. lemon juice
salt and pepper

Place one oven rack 5 inches from the broiler. Place a second rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Season the fish with salt and pepper.

Mix the parmesan, paprika, and cayenne (if using). We like things spicy, so we add cayenne to many of our dishes.

Put the butter on a broiler-safe baking dish. I like to cover the pan with foil to make clean up easy. Put the dish in the oven for ~8 minutes until the butter is melted and beginning to brown.

Place the fish in the dish skin side down and cook on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes. Then flip the filets over, baste with lemon juice and pan juices, and top with parmesan mixture.

Cook for 5 minutes more, and then switch the oven to broil. Move the pan to the top rack and broil 2-3 minutes until the topping is bubbly and golden.

Tonight we ate this with rice. I drizzled the juices over the rice.

It was delicious! You should try it sometime.