Skillet Roasted Fish Fillets

[LINDA RN]

From America's Test Kitchen.
Not all ingredients are LDL approved.
I am not sure that a sugar substitute will work for the browning, but anyone is welcome to try and post results.
I get tired of dry meat so I thought these recipes for fish and boneless chicken breasts sounded good.
The sauces could certainly be modified to be LDL acceptable. Instead of nuts, how about roasted edamae or chick peas?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Skillet-Roasted Fish Fillets
From Season 11: Seafood in a Skillet
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:Pan-roasted fish seems like a simple dish but in reality it is usually only well executed by practiced chefs. At home, the dish often results in dry, overbaked fillets. We set out to develop a foolproof recipe for producing succulent, well-browned fillets.
From an initial round of testing, we knew we needed thick fillets; skinnier pieces end up overcooked by the time they’ve achieved a serious sear. We then turned to a common restaurant method to cook the fish: Sear the fillet in a hot pan, flip, then transfer it to a hot oven to finish cooking. The technique was sound, but to brown the fish quickly before the hot pan had a chance to dry out the fish’s exterior we turned to a sprinkling of sugar. The idea is that sugar commingles with exuded juices from the fish, accelerating browning and giving the fish a rich color and deep flavor that’s anything but sweet. We dusted a few fillets with a touch of granulated sugar and placed them in a hot skillet. A well-browned crust formed almost immediately, leaving no time for the interior to dry out. And after a short stay in the oven to finish cooking through, the fish emerged well-browned, tender and moist, and best of all, not one taster detected any out-of-place sweetness. (less)
This video segment is not yet available. Each new episode is available to AmericasTestKitchen.com members as soon as it first airs on public television and is available two weeks later for free viewing by nonmembers.
Serves 4
Thick white fish fillets with a meaty texture, like halibut, cod, sea bass, or red snapper, work best in this recipe. If your fillets happen to come with skin, follow the instructions on page 12 to remove it. Because most fish fillets differ in thickness, some pieces may finish cooking before others—be sure to immediately remove any fillet that reaches 135 degrees. Serve the fish with lemon wedges or a relish.
INGREDIENTS
• 4 skinless white fish fillets , 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick (about 6 to 8 ounces each) (see note)
•  Kosher salt and ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
•  Lemon wedges

INSTRUCTIONS
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Dry fish thoroughly with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle very light dusting of sugar (about 1/8 teaspoon) evenly over 1 side of each fillet. Heat oil in large ovensafe nonstick skillet over high heat until smoking. Place fillets in skillet, sugared sides down, and press down lightly to ensure even contact with pan. Cook until browned, 1 to 1½ minutes. Using 2 spatulas, flip fillets and transfer skillet to oven. Roast fillets until centers are just opaque and register 135 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 7 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer to serving plates and serve with lemon wedges.
TECHNIQUE
• REMOVING SKIN FROM FISH FILLETS
If you happen to buy skin-on fillets, some quick knife work can remove it.
•
1. With a sharp knife, separate a corner of the skin from the fish.
•
2. Using a paper towel to hold the skin, slide the knife between the fish and the skin to separate them.
TECHNIQUE
• A SPOONFUL OF SUGAR

Fish begins to contract and dry out when its internal temperature reaches 120 to 135 degrees, far below the 300 degrees it takes for a good sear and for hundreds of new flavor compounds to be created in the process known as the Maillard reaction. Our challenge, then, was to get the fish to achieve this flavorful browning at a much lower temperature.
Here’s how we did it: When sugar (sucrose) is added to the wet surface of fish and is exposed to the heat of the pan, it quickly breaks down to glucose and fructose. Fructose begins to rapidly caramelize at around 200 degrees—a temperature the exterior of the fish easily reaches within a minute or so of hitting the hot pan. Thus, a little bit of sugar sprinkled on a fillet will lead to faster browning than an unsugared one, helping a good crust to form before the interior dries out.
•
WITH SUGAR
•
SUGAR-FREE
After just one minute, the fillet dusted with sugar is far more browned than the fillet without it.
TECHNIQUE
• SECRETS TO MOIST, WELL-BROWNED FISH

1. START THICK
Buy fillets at least 1 inch thick that won't cook through too quickly.
•
2. ADD SUGAR
Sprinkle one side of each fillet with sugar to expedite browning.
•
3. SEAR ONE SIDE
Sear just on sugared side to add flavor and help ensure moist interior.
•
4. ROAST IN HOT OVEN
Roast seared fish in 425-degree oven to cook it through without drying it out.



Green Olive, Almond, and Orange Relish
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
If the olives are marinated, rinse and drain them before chopping.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds , toasted
• 1/2 cup green olives , coarsely chopped (see note)
• 1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon zest plus 1/4 cup juice from 1 orange
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves
•  Table salt
•  Cayenne pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
• Process almonds, olives, garlic, and zest in food processor until nuts and olives are finely chopped, 10 to 12 one-second pulses. Transfer to bowl and stir in orange juice, vinegar, olive oil, and mint. Season to taste with salt and cayenne; serve spooned over fish.


Roasted Red Pepper, Hazelnut, and Thyme Relish

INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts , toasted and skinned
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers rinsed, dried, and coarsely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon zest plus 4 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 tablespoons Chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
•  Table salt and ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS
• Process hazelnuts, roasted peppers, garlic, and zest in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 one-second pulses. Transfer to bowl and stir in lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, parsley, and paprika. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve spooned over fish.

[LINDA RN]

I am sorry Roger,
On the other recipes, I added comments about what was not LDL acceptable but was in a hurry to post this this morning before work.
I will edit.

[tprouty]

Just the other day I marinated a couple of skinless fish fillets in olive oil and lemon juice, with a few spices thrown in (garlic, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, etc.) Only marinade for about an hour, or the lemon will start to cook the fish. I baked them with some of the marinade juices (covered for 15 minutes, then uncovered for another 15 minutes, at which point they were done -- cook longer or shorter time depending on thickness of fillets). Then just briefly put them under the broiler (with the oven door open so I could keep a close eye on them) to give them a little color and crispness on each side. They were moist and had great flavor! Very quick, no fuss, minimal mess, and great taste.

Served with a salsa of chopped mango, yellow & red sweet pepper, chopped onion, chopped jalapenos, lime juice, cilantro or parsley, and a dash of stevia. You could use any topping (like caramelized onions with chopped pineapple, or chopped fresh basil), but they were good enough to go topless!   

I love it when dinner is simple AND delicious!

Chopped roasted red peppers and fresh thyme sounds good all by itself without the hazelnuts. So does a sauce of reduced orange juice with a little garlic and mint (I don't think I would miss the almonds). Hmmm, not sure about mixing green olives with that....

I love how everyone keeps coming up with new ideas and figures out how to adapt great recipes for LDL!

Terri