Spicy Baked Pollock

I've raved a bit recently about the discovery of the best produce and meat market ever.  Going there is a blast--I get to check out fruits and veggies I've never seen in my life, and find deals on all kinds of foods to try cooking with.

Recently, I picked up some pollock because (a) it was ridiculously cheap, right around $2.50 for 4 fillets, and (b) the usual reason I grab something random at the grocery, I've never cooked it before!



Since I was new to pollock, I looked up some information on the fish before cooking it, learning that baking it a great way to keep the moisture in.  I decided to go with a strong flavor as I read this variety has a more fishy flavor--sonething I've been hesitant to try after years of not being much of a seafood fan. I went with a spicy style, adding sriracha to the mix.

First, I arranged the pollock in a baking casserole, then sprinkled some salt and pepper over them.

In a small bowl, I mixed together the sriracha, crushed red pepper, honey, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce, then poured it over the fish in the dish.

I baked the fillets for 20 minutes, until they flaked apart easily with a fork.  Ok I realize the below picture isn't the prettiest but leaving it out felt wrong!

And served alongside some couscous, a delightful fish dinner was served!

For such a bargain price for dinner, this really was stupendous.  Spicy for sure, but when you consider both crushed red pepper and sriracha were highlights of this one, that was no surprise.  I didn't find the flavor too strong as I was concerned about, so this is certainly a fish that I will try more recipes with in the future.  Give pollock a chance!

Spicy Baked Pollock Recipe

Ingredients:

4 pollock fillets
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons sriracha
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Season fillets with salt and pepper.  Lay in casserole dish. Mix together sriracha, crushed red pepper, honey, rice vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, and soy sauce in a small bowl.  Pour over pollock.  Cook for 20 minutes or until fish flakes apart with a fork.