Delicious and Easy Baked Grouper and Potatoes Recipe

When I was at Detwiler's Farm Market yesterday, I saw some beautiful, fresh Gulf of Mexico Grouper for what I thought was a reasonable price ($10.99 per lb.). So, I decided to make it for dinner. I found a very simple on-line recipe - Baked Fish and Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic from the renowned Italian-born cook and cookbook author, Marcella Hazan. The recipe states it can be used with firm-flesh fish such as grouper, mahi-mahi, snapper, or striped bass.

The name in Italian is, "Pesce Arrosto al Forno con all'Aglio e Rosmarino."

I modified the recipe to serve two and added a couple of ingredients - fresh lemon juice and capers. I would suggest looking at the original recipe and reviews at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/baked-fish-and-potatoes-with-rosemary-and-garlic-230907. Some of those reviews suggest modifications like using oregano instead of rosemary. Below is my modified version, including rewording the directions.

Total cooking time is about 40 minutes.

Ingredients

- 12 oz. small potatoes, washed and cut into quarters. I used Honey Gold potatoes, and did not peel them.
- an oven-to-table baking dish that can accommodate both the fish and the potatoes in a single layer
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary. (I used rosemary from our yard. It has grown into a huge bush that requires no attention.)
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled. (I cut them into a couple of pieces.)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon capers
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A one-pound fillet from a firm-flesh fish such as grouper, mahi-mahi, snapper, or striped bass
- 2 tablespoons fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. Place potatoes in the baking dish and pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil over them. Add 2 sprigs of rosemary, the garlic cloves, and salt, and pepper. Toss thoroughly. 

3. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. 

4. Remove the dish; turn the potatoes over; return the dish to the oven; and cook for another 10 minutes or so until the potatoes feel tender when tested with a fork.

5. While the potatoes are cooking in step 4 above, wash the fish fillet and pat it dry with paper towels. Also strip the leaves from the remaining rosemary sprig.

6. Remove the dish from the oven. Push the potatoes to the sides, making room in the center for the fish fillet. Place the fillet into the dish, with skin side down. (Our fillet came with skin already removed.) Scatter the rosemary leaves over the fish; pour the lemon juice and olive oil over the fish; and sprinkle salt, pepper, bread crumbs, and capers over the fish.

Return the dish to the oven and bake for 14 minutes. Let the dish settle out of the oven for 3-4 minutes before bringing to the table. (I just placed each serving of the fish on each of our plates rather than bringing the baking dish to the table.)