that's asparagus and carrot hanging out in the background, in case you were wondering

The first time I went to stay at my mother-in-law’s, I told her: “no meat”. The second time, I told her: “no gluten.” The third time she punched me in the kidney and ordered me to stay away from her son.

No, I’m kidding. Although perhaps she should have.

Thankfully these days, I am much less obsessive about my diet and don’t let my own hang-ups turn me into an ungrateful wench.

But back to my saint of a MiL. This Christmas not only did she serve up some amazing fish but she also stuck this book in my stocking:

no idea what those weird fish turd things are on the cover

Yep, that’s right. Straight from 1980, I give you Better Homes and Garden’s All-Time Favourite Fish & Seafood Recipes.

And if that title’s not got you salivating already then I despair of your tastebuds.

I love these little gems that MiL unearths in second hand bookshops and I especially love that she knows my predilection for all things fishy so I’ve been dying to test-drive a recipe.

Last night it was Citrus Fish (amended here to zingy citrus grouper because grouper was all I had in the house and without tacking ‘zingy’ on there I was afraid you’d never click the link).

The result was this neat little flavourful dish. It takes about 15 minutes to cook and uses ingredients that I’m willing to bet you have on hand right now.

People kept it simple in the 80s, there’s a lesson there.

Zingy Citrus Grouper (serves two)

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (I used the juice of half a large navel orange)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp EVOO
• 1 tsp dried dillweed
• 2 grouper fillets

1. Combine the water, orange juice, lemon juice, oil, parsley and dillweed and pour over the fish. Cover and let marinate for at least an hour or ’til needed.
2. Remove fish from marinade (preserving the precious liquid) and place in a baking dish. Pour over a few tbsps of the marinade and place the fish in the oven. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of your fish (I used a fairly chunky fillet so it took a good 20 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when it flakes easily). While it is cooking, continuously baste with the marinade.
3. Serve with a slice of lemon.