Apple-Stuffed Baked Fish

I have a confession to make. I used to say I hated fish or seafood of any kind. I wouldn't even consider eating fish, but recently I have been trying to have it more often. I'm always in search of good fish recipes, and this one was right up that alley. I admit that I still get the heebie geebies when handling fish, but I think that for the most part, I will say I like seafood. But don't expect me to eat anything with a nasty hard shell like lobster or crab. Things that have eyes that look at me. I won't even go near those!

But back to this recipe. It is out of one of my favorite cookbooks, The Old Farmer's Everyday Cookbook Almanac, and it won first prize in the 2003 "apples" recipe contest. The filling is sweet and savory, with a hint of tartness from the apples mingled with a touch of thyme; it's definitely a winner. It has an elegant presentation and is simple to make. I'm sure this dish could be dressed up on a bed of shredded carrots or rice and it would look even prettier. The one thing I would change is reduce the green onion. I think my onions were on the strong side, but there was too much for my taste. I left the original measurements in the recipe below, so you can decide for yourself. See my review for full details. Enjoy!

Apple-Stuffed Baked Fish (Print)
from The Old Farmer's Everyday Cookbook Almanac
Prep: 20 minutes / Bake: 10-15 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Stuffing:
1 cup peeled, cored, and grated Golden Delicious apple
1/2 cup peeled and grated carrot
1/2 cup minced green onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Fish:
4 white fish fillets (haddock, cod, or other), 4-5 ounces each (I used cod)
1/2 cup chicken broth or water

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a small roasting pan. (I used a cast iron dutch oven).

2. For stuffing: Prepare the apples, carrots, and onion as directed. Combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.

3. For fish: Rinse the fillets and pat dry with paper towels. Spread the stuffing over the fillets and carefully roll up lengthwise. (Mine ended up just being folded). Secure with toothpicks. Place fish in pan, pour broth or water over fish. Cover with lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

               

My Review

• Preparation: 5
• My husband and I worked together to make this. We used a standard box grater for the apples and it worked great. It's very easy to prepare and the baking time is short too.
• Taste: 4.5
• This was delicious and my husband ate two pieces! As I mentioned above, the green onions were a bit overpowering. It may need a smaller amount next time, depending on how strong my onions are. But overall, the sweet apples were a great touch to this dish and it was very flavorful.
• Cost: 4
• This is about $2.00 per serving.
• Clean-up: 5
• Not too many dishes either!
• Changes
• To avoid redundancy, see the taste section.
• My husband thought that it would be good if the filling was of a finer texture and a bit creamier. I'm not sure yet how to achieve that (without having pureed baby food in the middle), but I'm willing to try something!
• In case you are wondering, the recipe calls for 4 fish fillets, but I only had 3. Therefore, I had extra filling left over.
• Summary
• This recipe is simple, delicious, and great to have in your archives when you get tired of the same old fish recipes. I hope you enjoy it!