Revamped Baked Fish Still Deliciously Buttery

Fish can be a delicious source of low-fat protein, unless you drown it under a butter sauce. A 5-ounce serving of fish baked in butter sauce can have as much fat as a 7-ounce T-bone steak.

An original 1950s-era recipe for channel bass - another name for catfish - baked in butter and wine sauce called for 4 ounces of butter, or an entire stick.

Our revamped recipe uses just 2 tablespoons of butter, which is enough to give the fish a deliciously buttery flavor, but also reduces the fat considerably. The new recipe uses fat-free chicken broth instead of so much butter, but has terrific flavor from wine, lemon juice and grated Parmesan cheese.

From start to finish, you can prepare this recipe in less than 30 minutes.

Light Channel Bass

2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)

2 pounds catfish fillets, or other lean white fish such as sole, flounder or orange roughy

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon paprika

3 tablespoons fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the butter in a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the fish without layering. Melt the butter in the oven until it browns, about 7 minutes.

While the butter is browning, combine the salt, pepper and paprika in a small dish and sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the mixture. Place the fish in the the sizzling butter and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, turn the fillets and sprinkle with the chicken broth, wine, lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Return to oven and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Brown the fish under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot with the cooking juices.

Yield: 6 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 221 calories, 6.5 grams fat (26 percent fat calories), 37 grams protein, no carbohydrate, 114 milligrams cholesterol, 289 milligrams sodium.

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