Parmesan Grouper Potato Casserole #FishFridayFoodies

A sort of upside down fish pie, this Parmesan Grouper Potato Casserole starts with sliced potatoes on the bottom.  It is topped with tasty grouper then with a cheesy, creamy sauce that sort of melts down to the potatoes while simultaneously clinging in golden crunchiness to the top of the fish. Divine!

One of our favorite dishes, real comfort food for a cold night, is fish pie. That is, fish and often other seafood cooked in a béchamel or white sauce, sometimes with a little cheese, then baked with mashed potatoes on top. I don’t make it very often though because it is time consuming.

This casserole, on the other hand, gives us all the same sort of tastes and textures without 1. making white sauce, 2. cooking mashed potatoes and 3. having three pots/pans to wash up afterwards. Honestly, I think I like it even more than fish pie.

Parmesan Grouper Potato Casserole

This recipe was adapted from one on Sea Eagle Market.com. I made it several times before it occurred to me to add potatoes below the fish instead of as a side dish. The fish and sauce add so much flavor to the potatoes. Now I can't imagine why I was so slow. We live, we learn.

Ingredients  - serves 4
3 medium potatoes (approximately 550g before peeling)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra to grease casserole dish
1 1/2 lbs or 575g fresh boneless, skinless grouper
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup or 37g butter, softened
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2/3 cup or 66g grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup, packed, or 30g fresh bread crumbs

Optional for garnish:
chopped parsley and/or green onion tops

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and brush a medium-sized casserole dish with olive oil.

Peel the potatoes and sliced them. Fan them out to cover the bottom of your greased casserole dish and drizzle with the tablespoon olive oil. Season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Cover the casserole with foil and make the potatoes in the preheated oven until fork tender, about 20-25 minutes. (You can also do this step in the microwave, if you prefer, assuming your casserole dish is both microwave and oven ready. Mine is not.)

In a small bowl, stir together the softened butter, mayonnaise and hot pepper sauce. Add the Parmesan in by good handfuls.

Mix well. Keep going until all the cheese is mixed in. Set aside.

Meanwhile, brush the grouper with the lemon juice.

When the potatoes are done, remove the pan and turn the oven off. Turn your broiler or grill on high.

Place the grouper pieces on top of the potatoes. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Broil them for about 8 to 14 minutes or until they can be flaked with a fork. Thick pieces will naturally take longer.  I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made this and the time does vary wildly from 8 minutes for thin fillets to 14 when the fish is really thick.

Remove the casserole dish from the oven and spread the cheese mixture on top of the fish.

Sprinkle on the fresh breadcrumbs, patting them down gently so they stick.

Return the dish to under the broiler for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the topping is browned and bubbly. Keep a close eye on it! When it starts to brown, it darkens quickly.

Sprinkle on some chopped parsley or green onion tops, if desired. Enjoy!

This month my Fish Friday Foodie friends are all sharing dishes that can be made in the oven. Many thanks to our host Caroline from Caroline’s Cooking! Check out the list of tasty recipes below.

An InLinkz Link-up

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