Cornmeal Spice-Crusted Rockfish is an EASY pan-seared Weight Watchers entree (2 SP). Delicious, simple, gluten free, and ready to eat in under 20 minutes!
Over the past couple of years, my husband and I have been trying to eat more seafood. One of the types of fish we have really enjoyed is rockfish, also known as Pacific Snapper.
Rockfish is typically found in the waters off the West Coast (CA, OR, WA and British Columbia), and it has a mild flavor and flaky texture. I’ve enjoyed using it in a couple of my recipes previously (see links below).
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How I Found This Recipe
As you may or may not know, I have been collecting cookbooks for over 40 years now. I LOVE to randomly look through cookbooks, seeking out interesting recipes to try! THIS is one of those recipes! Guess what? It’s from a Weight Watchers cookbook! Even if you are not watching your calories, you will love the flavors in this completely easy, low calorie seafood dish!
I found the recipe for cornmeal spice-crusted rockfish in a Weight Watchers Freestyle Cookbook I got last year. It is only 2 smart points per serving, if following a WW Freestyle plan! The original recipe uses tilapia, but I wanted to try it with the rockfish fillets I had in the freezer, so I did! We loved it!
How To Make Cornmeal Spice-Crusted Rockfish
The first step is to mix together the spice mixture for the rockfish. Place cornmeal and the seasonings onto a large sheet of wax paper, and mix together.
The spices which are added to the cornmeal are smoked sweet paprika, black pepper, Old Bay seasoning, brown sugar, and dried thyme. Once the ingredients are combined, spread the spice mixture out on the wax paper or work surface.
Gently pat dry the fish using paper towels. FYI: There will be varying sizes of rockfish fillets, and because it was only my husband and I eating, I used three very small pieces of fish.
The recipe as written serves 4, and there will be enough spice mix to coat 4 decent sized pieces of fish.
Dredge each piece of fish in the spice mixture, to coat all sides well. Use your fingers to press the seasonings onto the fish until it adheres to the surface. Set the coated piece of fish aside onto a plate, and continue with next piece, until all fish has been covered with spice/cornmeal mix.
Cook The Cornmeal Spice-Crusted Rockfish
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet, on medium-high heat. Once oil is very hot, add the cornmeal spice-crusted rockfish. Lightly spray the top surface of the fish with non-stick spray.
Cook the fish about 4 minutes, until the underside is deeply browned. Carefully turn each piece of cornmeal spice-crusted rockfish over to the other side, and continue cooking for approximately 4 more minutes. The cornmeal spice coating will crisp up as the fish cooks, and make a wonderfully seasoned outside “crust” on the fillets. This is a GOOD thing!
Once the fish is cooked, transfer each piece to a dinner plate, and serve with your choice of side dishes! That’s it… now you’re ready to eat this delicious cornmeal spice-crusted rockfish! YAY! See how EASY it was to make this dish?
Serve The Cornmeal Spice-Crusted Rockfish
I served our cornmeal spice-crusted rockfish with a side of steamed rice (for my hubby), petite green peas, and my easy to make Southwestern Black Bean Salad (minus the avocadoes).
The fish is garnished with lemon wedges, which we squeezed over the fish before eating. That little extra zing of flavor made this dish even more delicious!
We REALLY enjoyed this seafood dish, and I truly hope it has interested you enough to give it a try! This seafood dish is easy to make, is incredibly low calorie, cooks in no time at all, and tastes wonderful! Hope you’ll try it! Have a great day.
Looking For More Recipes Using ROCKFISH?
You can find all of my seafood recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A couple delicious recipes that use rockfish include:
- Pan-Seared Rockfish with Fresh Herbs
- Grilled Fish Tacos with Baja Sauce
- Skillet Grilled Rockfish
- Panko Crusted Rockfish
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Original Recipe source: “The Essential WW Freestyle Cookbook”, published by Weight Watchers International, Inc., copyright 2018, page 84
Cornmeal Spice-Crusted Rockfish is an EASY pan-seared Weight Watchers entree. Delicious, simple, gluten free, and ready to eat in under 20 minutes!
- 2 Tablespoons cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
- 4 rockfish fillets (approx. 4-5 ounces each)
- 4 teaspoons canola oil
- Lemon wedges (for garnish)
Place cornmeal and the seasonings onto a large sheet of wax paper, and mix together. Once combined, spread the spice mixture out on the wax paper or work surface.
Gently pat dry the fish using paper towels. Dredge each piece of fish in the spice mixture, to coat all sides well. Use your fingers to press the seasonings onto the fish until it adheres to the surface. Set the coated piece of fish aside onto a plate, and continue with next piece, until all fish has been covered with spice/cornmeal mix.
Heat canola oil in a large skillet, using medium-high heat. Once oil is very hot, add the cornmeal spice-crusted rockfish. Lightly spray the top surface of the fish with non-stick spray. Cook the fish about 4 minutes, until the underside is deeply browned. Carefully turn each piece of fish over to the other side, and continue cooking for approximately 4 more minutes. Once the fish is done transfer each piece to a dinner plate, garnish each piece with lemon wedges, and serve with your choice of side dishes! Enjoy!
WW Freestyle = 2 Smart Points per serving!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!
It was good but I’ll put in 1/4-1/2 of the Old Bay seasoning. My husband and I thought it was just a bit too spicy.