A classic New England dinner made with just three ingredients. As easy as it is delicious.
EAT SEAFOOD TWICE PER WEEK
If you eat fish less than two times per week, you’re not eating enough seafood. So says a panel of nutrition experts assembled by the American Heart Association who recommend eating fish two times per week to help reduce the risk of heart failure, coronary heart disease, cardiac arrest and stroke. This is such simple advice to follow and an easy way to improve your health if you’re not already doing it. While the AHA places emphasis on consuming fatty fish like salmon, herring, and mackerel for their high concentration of omega 3’s, the less fatty varieties such as haddock have important health benefits as well. (Check out this article on the Health Benefits of Haddock.) In my family we have no problem at all eating seafood twice per week. Simple and delicious recipes like this one for 3 Ingredient Baked Haddock make it easy!
TIPS FOR MAKING 3 INGREDIENT BAKED HADDOCK
Here are a few tips for success with this recipe:
• How long you bake fish depends on the cut and thickness. Most pieces of haddock will cook in about 15 minutes at 400 degrees, but to be more precise, measure the thickness of the fish and adjust the cooking time accordingly if needed. A general rule of thumb is to bake for 6 minutes per ½ inch of thickness (measure at the thickest part).
• Use salted butter in this recipe. If all you have is unsalted butter add ¼ teaspoon of salt to the melted butter.
• Choose a dry, crunchy, cracker to make the crumb topping. There are countless flavors of crackers on the market (multigrain, Italian herb, rosemary sea salt etc.) so have fun experimenting as they almost all go well with a mild white fish like haddock.
• To make this dish gluten-free simply use gluten-free crackers. We eat mostly gluten-free in our family and these are our favorite crackers to use in this recipe: Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers, and Breton Herb and Garlic Gluten-Free Crackers.
• Grind the cracker crumbs very fine in a food processor. I have a mini food processor that’s great for small jobs like this.
• Make the crumb topping in bulk and freeze it in small zip-lock baggies for an easy no-prep dinner entree. (Defrost the crumb topping completely before using.)
• Substitute cod, scrod, sole, or any other type of mild white fish in this recipe.
ADDITIONAL INGREDIENT OPTIONS
This recipe for 3 Ingredient Baked Haddock is delicious as written but if you want an additional boost of flavor you can:
• Spread a thin layer (about 2 teaspoons) of mayonnaise, mustard, or pesto on the fish before you pile on the crumb topping. Last time I made this dish I used some of this caramelized onion mustard by Stonewall Kitchen and it was sooo good!
• Throw some fresh herbs on top. I always have parsley on hand so that’s what I usually use. A little extra flavor and a pop of color never hurts.
• Lemon and seafood go together like bread and butter so if you have any lemon juice, sprinkle a little on top before serving to amplify the already fabulous flavors in this dish.
For other healthy seafood dishes check out: Apricot Pistachio Crusted Salmon, Sushi Rice Crab Cakes with Egg Free Avocado Lemon Aioli, Dump and Bake Parmesan Shrimp and Vegetable Casserole, Black Rice Salmon Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette, Lobster Caesar Salad Supreme, and Lobster, Avocado, and Chickpea Salad with Lime Cilantro Vinaigrette.
If you make 3 Ingredient Baked Haddock don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
3 Ingredient Baked Haddock
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds haddock
- 1 cup finely ground cracker crumbs, about 3-4 ounces depending on the brand/type of crackers
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- parsley (optional)
- lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the haddock on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Combine the cracker crumbs and melted butter. Dump the mixture on top of the haddock and gently press the crumbs into the fish.
- Bake for 15 minutes. Broil on high for the last 2-3 minutes to brown the crumbs if needed.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sprinkle with lemon juice if desired.
Notes
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This turned out great after a few tries. Definitely a keeper. I made it over several nights accompanied by vegetable au gratin casseroles. I didn’t use the cracker crumbs because I’m low carb so I subbed low carb homemade bread crumbs instead. The first time I tried it with the melted butter, the bread crumbs didn’t adhere to the fish and most fell off, so I just deleted it completely and without it, it attached itself well to the fish. Instead after I breaded the fish I just put several pats of butter on top of the fillets. Along with the parsley and the lemon juice, it was delicious. The lemon really bumps it up a notch in flavor. That’s the star: the lemon. Also you did not list the coating spread that is required for the “breading” to adhere to the fish. You mentioned it at the top of the page but not under the recipe ingredients. So you would have to read the entire page to know you need to spread the fish with either mayo, mustard or pesto before applying the cracker crumbs. It would be very helpful to incorporate those coatings under the ingredients of the actual recipe. Thanks for sharing this delicious meal