On Friday's Menu

We'll be having simple baked cod this evening, as Grandma here will be entertaining the four-year-old grandgirl all afternoon with little time to fuss in the kitchen. This is actually my favorite way to bake fish -- there's a hint of the Southwest about it, as it's baked with lime instead of lemon, and so a Spanish rice-type side dish complements it nicely. I'll be using a boxed version for that today, even though I make a mighty fine homemade Spanish rice if I do say so myself. Must have been all those years we spent in Arizona.

Granny Boomer's Baked Fish with Lime

6 to 8 boneless fish filets (cod, snapper, or sole)
1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (see below)
One small onion, cut into rings

Oven: 325

Rinse filets and pat dry. Pour melted margarine into a glass baking dish. Place filets in dish in one layer. Pour lime juice over the filets, then salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the onion rings over all, and bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes. Check fish for doneness -- if the filets are very thick, they may need another 3 to 5 minutes. To serve, lift filets out of the broth and lay atop a bed of Spanish rice. Garnish with cilantro and lime if desired.

Some folks like to have their own lime wedge on the side with this, so while you're at it, buy a few extra limes. The small, round (and relatively inexpensive) key limes are the most flavorful. If you use much lime juice in cooking -- and really, why bother with the bottled stuff? -- you'll appreciate having a Mexican hand-juicer, like this one: