Baked Fish that Doesn't Suck

As my previous attempt at baked fish (fish & chips) was a big fail, I went back to the drawing board.  Inspiration struck when I toasted breadcrumbs in a skillet to serve tossed with roasted cauliflower.  The breadcrumbs (Panko) turned from pasty white to a golden brown in less than two minutes and with only a couple teaspoons of added oil.

The big problem with faux fried fish (breaded and baked in the oven) is that either the fish cooked but the breading didn't brown, or in my case, the breading browned unevenly and I ended up over-baking the fish trying to get a uniform color.  With pre-cooked breadcrumbs, the fish could bake quickly and at a high temperature, yet still emerge with an evenly browned appearance.  I'm going to call it a success.  Or beginner's luck.  


Crispy Fish 


1 Cup Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil + cooking spray to coat pan


1/2 Cup flour
2 egg whites, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water


1 pound whitefish (I had tilapia, but cod or walleye would be good too) cut into uniform 'sticks'

Panko seasoned with salt and pepper just added to a medium-hot pan 

with 2 tsp. oil and cooking spray.

After about 2 minutes - golden brown.  Remove from pan and add to 

shallow bowl or rimmed plate.

Heat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray.  Set up a breading station with three separate shallow bowls or plates: 1) flour 2) egg whites 3) toasted Panko.


Coat each fish strip in flour, then egg, then Panko and place on the prepared pan.  

Bake at 450 for 9-10 minutes.

Pre-baked but already looking gooood.

Baked and served with Asian slaw.

Asian Coleslaw


1 bag coleslaw
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
Zest and juice of 1/2 lime
1/4 cup chives or green onions, chopped 

Mix until blended and serve or cover and refrigerate until serving.  I realize this slaw is about as Asian as I am, but I'm going with it.

We let the boys dip their fish in ketchup.  They would eat their shoes if dipped in ketchup.  Or Ranch dressing. But, hey, they ate it.  Our fish was dipped in this:  

Sweet Chili Sauce - I might eat my own shoes if served with plenty of this.

Free arrangement of the week - apple blossom branches from our yard (or else potentially our neighbor's yard, but they didn't say anything).

Tomorrow: Greek Quinoa Salad, because you can't live in Ann Arbor and avoid Quinoa for long.