Fish & Mushroom Casserole with Crispy Phyllo
This fish and mushroom casserole recipe features a crispy phyllo topping on a hearty stew full of mushrooms and chunks of cod swimming in a rich sherry sauce. Other firm white fish work too—use whatever looks best at the seafood counter.
From EatingWell: September/October 2012
Yield: 6 servings
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Ingredients
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 2 pounds mushrooms, halved if small, quartered if larger
- 1 1/2 cups dry or cream sherry (see Tips)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
- 1 1/2 pounds cod (see Tips), skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 5 sheets 14-by-18-inch phyllo dough or 10 9-by-14-inch sheets, preferably whole-wheat, thawed
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch (or similar size 3-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until they start to release their liquid, 6 to 8 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushroom liquid has evaporated, 12 to 14 minutes more.
- Whisk sherry and tomato paste together and add to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk flour and milk together and add to the pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cod, dill, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the cod is just cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
- Place one sheet of phyllo on a clean cutting board. (If you have smaller sheets, place two side by side.) Coat the phyllo with cooking spray. Cut into quarters. (Cut smaller sheets in half to get 4 pieces.) Using your fingertips, crumple each piece of phyllo so it resembles a little nest and place on the casserole. Repeat with the remaining phyllo, fitting the “nests” snugly together to form a tight layer. Evenly coat with cooking spray.
- Bake the casserole until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
- Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3; cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Let stand uncovered at room temperature while you continue with Step 4 and preheat oven. Bake until bubbling and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Tips: Skip “cooking sherry”—it is high in sodium. Instead, purchase dry sherry (or sweeter cream sherry) that’s sold with other fortified wines in your liquor store.
- For sustainably fished cod, look for wild-caught U.S. Pacific cod or Atlantic cod from Iceland and the northeast Arctic. For more information, visit seafoodwatch.org.
Nutrition Per serving:
271 calories; 5 g fat (1 g sat, 3 g mono); 48 mg cholesterol; 25 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 3 g fiber; 517 mg sodium; 996 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Potassium (29% daily value), Folate (17% dv)
1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 starch, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1/2 fat
