Frieda Loves Bread: Bruschetta Topped Italian Fish

Long ago, I had the best baked halibut ever. It was lightly breaded, baked, and full of flavor. Unfortunately, the restaurant has closed, so it was up to me to figure out a recipe.

I loved the idea of using Italian breadcrumbs on fish and what could make it better? A tangy, robust tomato bruschetta topping!

I love fish if it is crispy. The bread crumbs give this fish a crispy texture without the frying.

To begin, Roma tomatoes are chopped and placed into a bowl...

a clove of garlic, extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegar are added.

Fresh basil is the BEST, but dried is what I have until my herb garden is ready.

Put this in the fridge for several hours or overnight to allow all the flavors to meld....

You can buy a box of Italian breadcrumbs, croutons, or make your own. A recipe for homemade Italian breadcrumbs is listed below this post. These bread crumbs are great in the Braciole and the Fried Ravioli recipes.

I mix the bread crumbs with some Parmesan cheese.

Assemble all your ingredients. Fish, bread crumbs, oil, baking sheet.

You want your fish to be fully thawed (I put them in the fridge over night). Pictured are individual cod fillets from Costco, but you can use halibut or talipia.
The first thing you want to do is pat your fish dry with a paper towel.

Dip all sides of your fish in olive oil.

Put it in your bread crumb mixture and cover it well.

Drizzle remaining oil on baking sheet, and place your breaded fish on top.

These are baked for 18-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fish.

To see if your fish is done, stick a fork in it...

and give the fork a slight twist.... if the fish comes apart easily, it's done.

If it doesn't flake easily, it needs more baking time. Put it back in the oven and check every 5 minutes with the fork test. Fish should be a solid color, and not translucent (kind of see-through).

Pull out the bruschetta topping, warm it up a little, and serve on top of the warm fish...