CEiMB: Crispy Fish Fingers
This is my week to choose the recipe for "Craving Ellie in My Belly" and since I am visiting Mom in New Brunswick, Canada, I decided to make something that would be native to this area and not easily obtainable in the jungles of Guatemala. Something that involved seafood seemed like a natural, so I perused Ellie's recipes with that in mind. I thought first of making something with shrimp or clams, but Mom isn't crazy about shellfish unless its lobster ... and I didn't know how easily other chefs could get lobster. (I, myself, will most definitely be eating at least one or two lobster rolls here before I go back). In the end, I decided on a favorite from my childhood, Crispy Fish Fingers, although in those days my "fish fingers" were called "fish sticks" and came frozen in a box.
On my way through Boston to get here, my sister-in-law gave me a couple of boxes of Panko Bread Crumbs to try (we can't get them in Guatemala), so I decided to do an experiment and coat half of the "Fingers" with Panko Bread Crumbs (I used the Pecan Panko Breading) and the other half with the home made crumbs that Ellie suggests.
I also substituted regular mustard for the Dijon which Mom didn't have in the house ... and haddock for the flounder.
Crispy Fish Fingers
2008, Ellie Krieger
Ingredients:
4 slices whole-wheat bread (1-ounce each)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound flounder fillets
2 eggs, beaten to mix
1/3 cup nonfat plain Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
Directions
Put the bread in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until bread crumbs form.
Toast the crumbs in a large, dry nonstick skillet over a medium-high heat, stirring frequently and breaking up the crumbs with a spoon if they begin to stick together, until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spray a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. On a plate, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Cut the fillets into 4 by 1-inch strips. A few pieces at a time, dip the fish into the flour mixture, dusting off the excess. Dip the fish in the egg and then the bread crumbs. Arrange on the baking sheet and continue until all of the fish is breaded.
Bake until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chives and cayenne, if using.
Season, to taste, with freshly ground black pepper and set aside until the fish is cooked.
Serving size: 6 pieces and 2 tablespoons sauce
Verdict:
I served them with mashed potatoes and cole slaw ... basicly a meal right out of my childhood.
After the 10 minute suggested cooking time, I didn't think they were cooked enough and put the back for another couple of minutes ... BIG MISTAKE. Ten minutes was obviously enough. They were somewhat dried out. Fortunately, the dipping sauce was excellent and went a long way to moistening them up.
Both types of crumbs were crispy and as near as Mom and I could tell, an unnoticable difference in flavor.
I will definitely make them again ... and the only difference I would make is to take them out of the oven after 10 minutes.
Thanks for a great pick! I love all of your photos. I'm glad you could make these for your mom while you were visiting!
Leslie said... May 27, 2009 at 10:27 PM
I think this was a great pick for your first time! I haven't had a chance to make them yet but hope to get a post about them out this weekend. After reading yours, I'm excited to try them :)
Anonymous said... May 27, 2009 at 10:37 PM
They look great. I used panko for mine, but glad to see your breadcrumb comparison. Great choice, we really enjoyed them,
Sara said... May 28, 2009 at 11:27 AM
Great photo. It was a good choice and I will try it again but follow the recipe more closely with the exception of the fish. No more flounder for me.
Anonymous said... May 28, 2009 at 11:42 AM
Excellent (rubbing hands like Mr. Burns) selection!
Lobster rolls, yum, and here I thought all they had in Canada was ice and disdain for people from the US :-P
nick said... May 28, 2009 at 1:21 PM
Great pic! I used panko for mine and liked how crispy they turned out. I wish I made the sauce...I didn't have the yogurt on hand so I missed out! Enjoy your visit with your mom!
Aggie said... May 28, 2009 at 2:05 PM
Oh how I miss lobster rolls! I got hooked on them when I lived in Massachusetts. Sigh....
Sadly I missed out on this -- did chicken fingers instead (oops!). Sorry about that! These do look good though.
TourGuideJenn said... May 28, 2009 at 11:15 PM
I enjoyed cooking them with you this week! Loved reading your blog. And yes, they should be called fish STICKS!! I couldn't call them fingers, just didn't sound right. :) Yours look really crunchy and good.
Peggy said... May 29, 2009 at 12:49 PM
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