A beautiful winter's day in California...
Sunny and unseasonably warm. Flowers are blooming. Birds are chirping. Makes it hard to believe that the East Coast is digging out from underneath a pile of snow. Of course, we need precipitation out here. It seems this winter is destined to be one of the strangest in recent memory.
Lots of farmers market shopping and cooking have been happening in my household. One of my favorite preparations for fish involves crusting it with panko breadcrumbs and frying it up. Luckily, I found gluten free panko at Whole Foods last week. After cooking fish up to crispy, golden brown, I top the it with slivered almonds sautéed in olive oil and then salted.
Finish the fish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and you're good to go!
This recipe also works great for Tilapia, Red Snapper, Rainbow Trout, Sole, Catfish, or almost any other small white fish.
(And the green beans pictured? They were steamed and then tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then topped with some of the slivered almonds.)
Panko-Crusted Pacific Rock Fish with Slivered Almonds (Gluten Free)
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
Serves 2 people
Gluten-free; dairy-free
Ingredients
4 fillets of Pacific Rock Fish
1 cup all purpose flour (I used Trader Joe's Gluten Free Flour)
2 cups panko breakcrumbs (I used gluten free panko)
1 egg
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
lemon wedges (for serving)
Directions
1. Place the flour in a bowl for dredging and the panko breadcrumbs in another bowl for dredging. Whisk the egg in another bowl. Season the fish with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Heat the grapeseed oil in a saute pan over high heat. Dredge the fish first in the flour, shaking off any excess. Then coat the fish in the egg mixture. Finally, dredge it in the breadcrumbs. Fry the fish up in the pan for a few minutes, turning it once, until golden brown and cooked through. Repeat with the remaining fish fillets.
3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown (be careful not to burn them). Season with salt.
4. To serve, spoon the almonds over the fish and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!