Baked Dory à la Troy

I don't know what to call this dish. I just thought of Chicken Parmigiana, and improvised with what I have, and made this! It turned out pretty darn good.

I think the sauce overwhelmed the fish. (I just used up all the leftover spaghetti sauce)

Right after breakfast, I rummaged in our fridge for any leftovers that I can eat for lunch. I saw the spaghetti noodles and the sauce (from the other day), and.... that's it. I already ate spaghetti for lunch and dinner yesterday, I don't want to eat it for the 3rd time. I was thinking of making Chicken Parmigiana. I peeked in our freezer for chicken breasts, no luck. There's a pack of fillet dory though. I don't have chicken, but I do have fish! Improvise?

So that's it! I tried to make Chicken Dory Parmigiana. Naaah, I'll just name it Baked Dory à la Troy. After baking, it turned out really good! Not bad.

Layers include lemon, dory, spaghetti sauce, cheese

I think I used more than enough spaghetti sauce for this. Forgive me, I only used all what was left. I would really like to say that the end result was pretty great! The combination of the flavours: the lemon, the tomato, and the cheese, how heavenly. When you take a bite, you can taste the sweetness of the Pinoy Style spaghetti sauce, and the sourness of the lemon, sandwiching the very soft, and moist fish. I never thought that it would be so yummy! If you are desperate to make Chicken Parmigiana but don't have every ingredients, you can make this alternative.

What you need: (good for 1)

1/2 lemon, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 fillet of dory (or any white fish)

1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (or your favourite tomato sauce. I used 1 cup of sauce and it's more than enough)

grated cheese (cheddar and parmesan)

salt and pepper

a dash of oregano

parsley (for garnish)

olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350F. 

2. Slice half of the lemon into 3 circular shapes and line it up in a baking dish. Reserve the end of the lemon for later.

3. Add the garlic to the baking dish.

4. Season the fish with salt and pepper (I added chili flakes for an extra kick). Place it on top of the lemon and garlic. Squeeze in the remaining end of the lemon over the fish.

5. Add the spaghetti sauce, or your favourite tomato sauce over the fish. Add a dash of oregano.

6. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil on top of the cheese.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese browns.

8. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley.

Note: You can make your dory crispy! I think it would be closer to the experience of Chicken Parmigiana. First, pat dry your fish. Dredge it with flour with salt and pepper. Dip in a beaten egg and coat with breadcrumbs (with cheese if you like, yum!). Pan fry the fish for 4-5minutes per side on medium-high heat, using cooking oil until golden brown. Then proceed to step 2.

Enjoy your improvised Chicken Parmigiana! Baked Dory à la Troy!