Schol Uit De Oven (fish Fillets "out Of The Oven")

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 6 skinned flounder fillets, each about 1/8-inch thick (5-6 oz. each)
• 1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 6 lean bacon, slices
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon dill seed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly grated gouda cheese
• 1/3 cup soft fresh breadcrumb (made from homemade-type bread, pulverized in a blender or finely shredded with a fork)
• 1/4 cup grated blanched almond (pulverized in a blender or with a nut grinder)
• 3 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into tiny bits

Recipe

• 1 pat the fillets completely dry with paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with the lemon juice and salt. set aside at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
• 2 preheat the oven to 500*. with a pastry brush, spread 2 tblsp. of the softened butter over the bottom and sides of a shallow enameled or stainless-steel baking dish large enough to hold the fillets in one layer.
• 3 cut a piece of waxed paper to fit snugly inside the dish and spread the remaining softened butter on one side of the paper. set it aside.
• 4 in an 8 to 10 inch skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat until it is lightly colored and begins to crisp. transfer to paper towels to drain.
• 5 pat the fish fillets dry and fold them lengthwise in half, doubling them over. press the edges together to hold them in shape. dip the fish in the flour and shake each fillet gently to remove excess flour.
• 6 sprinkle both sides of each fillet with the dill seeds and nutmeg. arrange the fillets side by side in the buttered baking dish and lay a strip of bacon on each one. grind a little pepper on top.
• 7 combine the cheese, bread crumbs and almonds in a bowl and scatter the mixture evenly across the fish.
• 8 dot with the butter bits, then bake in upper third of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the topping is brown and the fish flakes easily when prodded gently with a fork. serve at once, directly from the baking dish.