Get Cooking_ 150 Simple Recipes to Get You Started in the Kitchen - Mollie Katzen [74]
1 pound white fish fillets, such as sole, snapper, or cod (four 4-ounce pieces, each ½-inch thick)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water
½ cup panko (Japanese-style breadcrumbs; see Chapter 6: Chicken, Fish, and Meat)
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
Lemon or lime wedges, for serving
1. Rinse the fish under cold running water, then pat it dry with paper towels and set aside.
2. Break the egg into a pie pan, then beat with a fork or a small whisk, adding the teaspoon of water as you go. When no egg white is still visible, stop beating and set aside.
3. Combine the panko, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. Have a second dinner plate ready to hold the coated fillets.
4. One at a time, dip the fillets into the egg and then let any excess egg drip off back into the pie pan. Put each moistened fillet into the panko mixture, pressing it down firmly so the crumbs will adhere. Then turn it over, and press the second side into the crumbs until it becomes completely coated all over. Shake off any extra panko mixture, and transfer the coated fillet to the clean plate.
5. Place a large (10-to 12-inch—or big enough to hold all 4 fillets) heavy skillet over medium heat. After about a minute, add the olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the butter, and swirl until it melts into the oil.
6. Carefully transfer the coated fillets to the hot pan. Cook, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until deep golden brown on the bottom.
7. Use a metal spatula to carefully loosen each fillet, being careful to keep its coating intact. Flip each fillet over, and cook on the second side for 2 to 3 minutes, or until that side is deep golden brown. A sharp knife should insert easily into the thickest part of the fish, revealing opaque flesh. If necessary, cook a minute or so longer.
8. Serve hot, accompanying each portion with a wedge or two of lemon or lime.
WHY PANKO?
Panko is the name of a kind of very light, coarse-textured Japanese-style breadcrumb, often sold either in the Asian section of supermarkets or with the regular breadcrumbs; it comes packed in a box or a bag. The porous texture and rough oblong shape of panko crumbs make them the absolute best choice when you want to create an extremely-yet-delicately-crisp outer coating on any pan-fried or baked food. If you can’t find panko, use ordinary unseasoned breadcrumbs. Their finer, more powdery texture still works for coating, but the result will be less crunchy and light.
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GET CREATIVE
These fillets are great with mayonnaise or with store-bought tartar sauce.
Serve with Roasted Fingerlings (Chapter 7: Sides); be sure to start them far enough in advance so they’re ready when the fish is done.
Mostly Classic Cole Slaw (Chapter 2: Salads) also makes a nice accompaniment, and can be made up to a day ahead of time.
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pan-seared garlic prawns
Makes 4 servings
Here’s a no-fail way to enjoy succulent prawns with just a few minutes of work. I recommend buying frozen large shrimp rather than fresh. (“Prawns” and “shrimp,” by the way, are essentially synonyms: “shrimp” tends to be how they’re sold, and “prawns” is a nice way to refer to large shrimp when serving them.) Why? Because at most supermarket fish counters the shrimp are previously frozen anyway, and the quality of shrimp deteriorates the longer they sit after thawing. Buying good-quality shrimp from the freezer section means you can have them on hand till you need them, and then thaw them just before you’re ready to cook, making for fresher, tastier shrimp. Shrimp are sold by size and classified by the number of them in a pound. In this case, we’re using extra-large shrimp (16 to 20 to a pound). Either “easy-peel” or peeled shrimp will work here. “Easy-peel” are deveined but still have the shell and