Looking for something easy and healthy to make for dinner tonight?  This is my own recipe, and was developed from the fact I messed up and didn’t get the right ingredients for another recipe from the store. It was late, and I just needed to cobble together something from what I did have in the refrigerator. The result was absolutely delicious.  This recipe serves 3-4, depending on whether or not you make this a one-dish meal, or serve it with one or more sides. If you’re serving 2 people, it has enough leftover for lunch the next day.

1 1/2 pounds of local white fish (I use cod, but you can use hake, scrod, bream or any other firm white fish.)

2 – 5oz bags of pre-washed fresh spinach

1 onion, chopped

3-4 thin slices of pancetta, or 2 medium-thick slices, chopped in small pieces

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 1/2 cups Italian style panko breadcrumbs (or regular, if you wish, with 1/2 t oregano added)

1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

2 T extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a large frying pan, sauté onion in olive oil, adding pancetta after a few minutes.  Sauté both until the onions are golden and the fat is rendered on the pancetta. Add garlic and sauté 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. It should look something like this. 

Transfer onion mixture to a medium sized bowl.  Do not rinse frying pan, but add the spinach directly to the pan, adding more olive oil if needed.  Sauté until limp.

Add spinach to onion mixture, and salt and pepper to taste.

Rinse fish filets and place in a 9-12 inch pan. Pour spinach mixture over the top, and spread to cover fish.

In a small bowl, mix panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle over the top of the spinach mixture, spreading to cover. Drizzle more olive oil over the top.

 

Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes, or until the breadcrumb mixture is golden brown, and the fish is done.

Serve immediately with a nice Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, or Gavi. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.