Quick and Easy: Spicy Baked Fish

By Thayer Wine
Nashville Tennessean

Quick-cooking fish helps get supper on the table fast.

Even if you want to season it with a marinade, you need to let it steep in the juices for only 20 minutes or so while you prepare the rest of the meal.

The main thing to know about cooking fish is that the fresher it is, the better.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided use
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry thyme leaves, crushed, or 2 teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds fish filets

Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small, nonstick skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon of the oil; add chopped green onions and garlic. Cook gently for two minutes; remove from heat and stir in paprika, thyme, salt and red pepper.

Cover shallow baking pan or jelly roll pan with aluminum foil and brush with remaining 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place fish fillets, skinned side down, on pan. Spread seasoning mixture over fillets as evenly as possible. Bake fish 10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until fish flakes easily when pulled gently with a fork.

Nutritional analysis: per serving (using sole; other fish may contain more or less fat and cholesterol): 174 calories, 27 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrate, .5 gram fiber, 5 grams fat, 75 milligrams cholesterol, 263 milligrams sodium.