New England Baked Haddock- real food edition

Name: New England Baked Haddock- real food edition
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb. haddock, rinsed and patted dry (or other mild-tasting white fish, such as catfish, flounder, pollock, or cod); 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (I make my own by throwing some toasted whole wheat bread in a food processor); 6 tablespoons butter, melted; salt and pepper, to taste; lemon wedges/slices, for serving (optional)

September 11, 2014 By Elizabeth 89 Comments

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This New England Baked Haddock is so comforting, delicious, and easy to make!

If you are from New England, you have had New England Baked Haddock.

If you aren’t or haven’t had it… you need to get it in your mouth ASAP. And I mean like, now.

Well, read this post first, then run to the store and get all the supplies you need for it.

… did I mention this recipe has only three ingredients, besides salt and pepper? Yes, three.

Fish, butter, and bread crumbs. And lemon, if you want it! Which makes this a simple, quick, and inexpensive meal to make.

This is a very traditional dish in New England, and is often served as the fish option at weddings and other shindigs. It can be ordered at almost any seafood restaurant, and is so melt-in-your-mouth yummy, it will be hard to go back to eating fish any other way!

New England baked haddock is perfect for when you want something pescetarian, but a little more soul-satisfying than your light and healthy grilled fish.

It’s almost like fish meets casserole. It’s warm and hearty, and will satisfy even the meat lovingest of the meat lovers as a main course.

Traditionally, baked haddock is made using Ritz crackers (which are from New England) crumbled up with butter and spread on top of the fish, then baked in the oven with lemon and herbs.

However, you can get the same delicious effect by using whole wheat bread crumbs and lots of butter (to get that awesome buttery Ritz-y taste).

This way, you can avoid all of the many ingredients found in Ritz crackers: UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN {VITAMIN B2}, FOLIC ACID), SOYBEAN OIL, SUGAR, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED COTTONSEED OIL, SALT, LEAVENING (CALCIUM PHOSPHATE AND/OR BAKING SODA), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOY LECITHIN, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NATURAL FLAVOR. For such an innocent-seeming cracker, it’s a hotbed of processed ingredients.

Yep, I’ll stick with homemade bread crumbs and butter any time (I just toast up some whole wheat bread, throw it in my food processor for a minute, and bam! Homemade bread crumbs!).

OK, now you may go to the store, get your ingredients, and make this as soon as you get back. Go! Now! And then come back here and let me know what you think :-)

And just so you know, you can use any light-tasting white fish (haddock, tilapia, cod, pollock, catfish, flounder, etc.) for this meal. That way, if you are like me, you can buy what’s on sale and save a little moolah :-)

Here’s the printable recipe, as well as the products I recommend for this New England Baked Haddock!