Pepper & Parm Crusted Fish with Cherry Tomato-Basil Sauce

Y'all, I feel like I am SO behind on blogging. I have several recipes to share, but I'm having a hard time finding enough time to sift through the pics, upload, etc. I would promise to do better, but with baseball season starting this week, I'm not sure how much time I'll have. I will do my best to keep new recipes coming.

This recipe for Pepper & Parm Crusted Fish with Cherry Tomato-Basil Sauce is another quick & super easy one from the Rachel Ray magazine.

I'll be totally honest, the fish part was just okay. The Cherry Tomato-Basil Sauce, however, was AMAZING and makes this totally worth sharing. You could easily make this sauce & use it to top grilled fish, chicken or even a salad. In the words of Rachel Ray, "YUMMO!"

Ingredients:

Sauce

* 1.5 - 2 Tbsp EVOO
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 large shallot, chopped
* 1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
* large handful of fresh basil leaves, chopped
* salt & pepper

Fish

* 1/2 cup cornmeal
* 1/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
* LOTS of coarse black pepper
* 2 - 4 white fish fillets (cod, halibut, etc)
* EVOO for frying
* balsamic vinegar for drizzle



Directions:

1. Heat 1.5 - 2 Tbsp EVOO in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic & shallot and stir for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the tomatoes & basil. Season with salt & pepper.
Cook over medium to break down the tomatoes, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Mix the cornmeal, cheese & black pepper in a shallow dish. Coat the fish, one at a time, in the mixture.

4. Heat a thin layer of EVOO in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish & cook, turning once, until crisp & brown all over (8-10 min).

5. Place fish on paper towels to drain excess oil.

6. Top the fish with the tomato sauce and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.


7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

My Tid-Bits:

* I put some of the tomato basil sauce on my salad with some balsamic vinaigrette dressing and it was delicious!

* With each serving of the topping (4 servings in this recipe) having only 64 calories, you can easily create a low-calorie meal by using this to top chicken, grilled fish or a spinach salad.