BAKED LIME-COCONUT GROUPER

I’m trying to eat more fish, less red meat.  But I have to tell you, I do love red meat.  Our local Harris Teeter carries a nice variety of fresh fish, and the quality is good.  Recently, they had wild-caught Grouper, a fish that I enjoy.  It’s a mild fish with some body to it and a little fat, so I feel a little full after I eat it – unlike fat-less flounder which leaves me starving.  You can use any mild white fish if you don’t have grouper where you live (flounder, tilapia, basa, white trout, snapper, etc.)
 
Instead of marinating the grouper and putting it on the grill, I decided to do something different.  I came up with this recipe by combining several and making changes.  One piece of fish was left over, and I heated it in a fry pan for breakfast.  It tasted just as good as the day before.  This is definitely a recipe I’ll be using again. 

Sweetened coconut, combined with bread crumbs, hot red pepper, and a nice touch of nutmeg that is almost indiscernible provides a slightly crispy, delicious coating for the fish.  Sweet and hot meet to delight your palate; a sprinkle of lime juice  is the perfect finishing touch.  This recipe will feed two;  double or triple it if you need more.

BAKED LIME-COCONUT GROUPER Source:  Judy’s Kitchen Rating:  9.5 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:  about 1 cup crusty Italian bread, cubed 1/2 cup sweetened dried, flaked coconut big pinch sea salt pinch freshly ground nutmeg 1/8 – 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper, according to taste 1/2 egg (1-1/2 Tbsp.) 1 Tbsp. water 1/2 lb. fresh wild-caught grouper, rinsed, cut into 2-3 pieces 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil Lime wedges Heat oven to 400F.  In the work bowl of a food processor, process bread till it’s crumbs.  Remove all but 1/3 cup.  (If your 1 cup of cubes equals 1/3 cup, you hit a home run!)  Add the coconut, salt, nutmeg and red pepper to the work bowl with the crumbs and process till coconut is in smaller pieces and everything is combined.  Pour into a dish for dredging. Beat together 1/2 egg and 1 Tbsp. water in another dish for dredging. Dip each piece of fish, first in the egg, then in the coconut mixture, being sure you coat each well.  Melt butter with oil in bottom of Pyrex pie plate or other oven-proof dish by placing the dish in the oven for a few minutes.  Place fish in hot pan.  Scoop up some of the melted fat and drizzle it over tops of fish pieces.  Place in oven; reduce heat to 350F.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or till topping is crispy and brown and fish flakes easily with fork.  Serve with lime wedges.  Yield:  2 servings