Nut-Crusted White Fish

Mild white fish under a toasty crust of homegrown pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts bound with Dijon and baked hot — the Southern pecan-crusted classic, ready in half an hour.

30 min Easy

Ingredients

serves 4

From the garden

¾ cup pecans, hazelnuts, or walnuts, finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped parsley or dill

From the pantry

4 pieces white fish fillets (about 6 oz each)
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 lemon — cut into wedges
salt — to taste
black pepper

Steps

tap a step to dim it as you go

Heat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with parchment. Pat the fillets very dry and season both sides with salt and pepper — a wet fillet steams instead of crusting.
Stir the chopped nuts, panko, herbs, and melted butter together with a pinch of salt until the crumbs look like damp sand. Chop the nuts fine but stop before they turn to paste; a few coarser bits give the best crunch.
Stir the Dijon and mayonnaise together and brush a thin layer over the top of each fillet — this is the glue and it seasons the fish too.
Press the nut mixture firmly onto the mustard layer in an even cap. Bake 10–14 minutes depending on thickness, until the crust is deep golden and the fish flakes easily and reaches 145°F at the thickest point.
Rest 2 minutes and serve with lemon wedges. A green salad or buttered green beans makes it dinner.