Pan-Roasted With Red Pepper-Hazelnut Relish
When you feel like eating fish for dinner instead of a fatty cut of meat, how do you ensure that you’re getting enough fat for keto? White fish offers enough protein for the diet; to add fat, we chose a cooking method that used a little oil and added more oil in the guise of a colorful relish with red peppers to serve alongside.
Ingredients
- ½ cup hazelnuts toasted and skinned
- ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers rinsed, patted dry, and chopped coarse
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 4 teaspoons juice divided
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 4 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets, 1 to 1½ inches thick
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Pulse hazelnuts, red peppers, garlic, and lemon zest in food processor until finely chopped, 10 to 12 pulses. Transfer to bowl and stir in ¼ cup oil, parsley, thyme, paprika, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside for serving.
- Pat striped bass dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch oven safe skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place fillets skinned side up in skillet and press lightly to ensure even contact with skillet. Cook until browned on first side, about 2 minutes. Gently flip striped bass using 2 spatulas, transfer skillet to oven, and roast until fish flakes apart when gently prodded with paring knife and registers 140 degrees, 7 to 10 minutes. Serve with red pepper–hazelnut relish.