My Dad's Simple Broiled Haddock

This is how my Dad eats his fish most often. He has special fish broiling plates -- the metal plates with a little recessed part to hold the fish and the juices -- but I've done this on foil and on a greased cookie sheet. This is a quick and easy recipe for haddock, cod, pollock, sole, flounder or any thin, delicate fish fillet; walleye would be good, too. Figure on a fillet per person. This recipe serves 4 as a main course.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 small haddock fillets, or 2 large ones
• Kosher salt
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 4-6 tablespoons bread crumbs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon wedges to serve

Preparation:

Preheat broiler.

Lay the fillets skin side down -- even if there is no skin -- on a buttered broiler pan. A fish pan is ideal, but any heavy broiler pan will do. I cover mine in foil.

Salt the fish well, then slice the butter thinly and lay the pats on the haddock fillets. Top with a generous sprinkling of bread crumbs.

Broil for 10 minutes per inch of fish, based on how wide it is at its widest point. It'll take at least 5 minutes, even for thin fillets like sole.

Remove and grind black pepper over the fish, add more butter if you wish, and serve piping hot with lemon wedges. I like crusty bread and a simple salad to go with this recipe.

To drink? Chardonnay would be nice, as would a crisp Italian white such as pinot grigio.