Italian Breaded Baked Fish

Fish is not one of my husband's favorite foods, but he does like wild-caught cod fillets done in very simple fashion like this. He would tell you, "as long as it does not taste fishy" I'll give it a try, and he does, thankfully. The fish takes minutes to prepare and about 15 minutes to bake, so it is great for getting dinner on the table quickly. Serve it alongside pasta and salad for a truly Italian-style meal. Blessings...

Recipe:

1-1/2 lbs. fish fillets (cod worked great)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp. grated Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
1 tbsp. Italian herb blend
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. granulated garlic or garlic powder
2 tbsps. olive oil, divided
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a glass baking dish with a teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Mix the bread crumbs, cheese and spices together in a pie plate.
3. Cut the fish fillets into 5-6 oz. portions. Gently toss the fillets in the remaining olive oil then dip them into the bread crumb mixture until coated. Set the fillets in the greased baking dish, being careful not to crowd.
4. Place the pan in the preheated oven on the top rack near the broiler. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Open the oven and turn on the broiler. Broil the fillets for another 2-3 minutes, or until the breading begins to brown. Keeping the oven door open allows for you to watch the fish closely so that it does not burn. Serve with a lemon wedge, unless you enjoy the fish alongside pasta and a wonderful sauce, as we did.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes