Roasted Lemony Fish With Brown Butter, Capers and Nori
Drizzling a mild, white fish with a caper-spiked browned butter is classic for a reason. The butter adds richness to the lean fish, and the tanginess of capers and lemon perks up any mellowness. In this version, adapted from the chef Danielle Alvarez’s cookbook “Always Add Lemon” (Hardie Grant, 2020), nori oil adds another layer of umami flavor. It’s both bright and deep, with a silky texture that’s easy to achieve. Serve it with rice or bread to mop up all the saline, buttery juices.—Melissa Clark
For the Fish
2 ¼ pounds/6 (6-ounce) fillets white fish, such as hake or cod
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lemons
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup parsley leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons capers, drained
For the Nori Oil
10 nori seaweed snack sheets, crumbled (about ⅓ cup)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Step 1
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Put fish on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
Step 2
Make the nori oil: Place crumbled seaweed snacks in a blender or mini food processor. With the motor running, drizzle in ¼ cup of the olive oil and continue to blend until the oil is black, 1 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed. (Because there’s such a small amount of liquid, you may need to stir a lot in between pulses. If you like, you can double the ingredients and save some for next time; it will keep for at least a few weeks in the fridge.) When the oil is well blended, stir in a pinch each of salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 3
Pour the remaining ¼ cup olive oil all over fish. Thinly slice 1½ lemons. (Save the other lemon half for serving.) Arrange lemon slices on top of the fish. Roast until the fish is opaque and just cooked through but not yet flaky, about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of fish. Remove from oven and brush two-thirds of the nori oil on top of fish; set aside to rest while preparing the butter.
Step 4
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden-brown and it smells nutty and toasty, 3 to 5 minutes. Add parsley and capers, and cook for another minute. (Be careful when adding capers, as they may splatter once they hit the hot butter.) Pour the sizzling butter mixture over the fish and squeeze a little lemon juice from the reserved half on top. Serve immediately with remaining nori oil on the side for more drizzling.
None Available.