Crispy Fish From the Oven

Last week Andy requested fish and chips for dinner one night. When he suggested it, of course it immediately sounded good, but that meant deep fat frying, and I just wasn't in the mood to pull out the fry-o-later. I decided I was in the mood for a simple baked fish, and while at the grocery store last week, they had a sale on Alaskan Pollock. It may not be the fanciest fish out there, but with a little seasoning, pollock makes a very nice fish dinner- and it's actually quite affordable as well.

Surprisingly enough, I found very few recipes online specifically for pollock. I knew I could use a recipe for baked cod or tilapia just fine, but I had hoped for something different. So I looked at a few recipes and came up with my own. I made a crumb coating out of panko, cornflakes, and Parmesan cheese (yes, use the green can for this one), and let me tell you, it was teasing us the whole time it was in the oven. It smelled fantastic. It took a little longer to bake then I'd anticipated, but I wanted a crispy crust, so it took a little extra time. It really turned out quite well. The crust was mostly crispy, but it may have been a little too thick in some places. The seasoning was spot on, and honestly, it almost had a deep fried flavor going on. It was the perfect compromise to fish and chips, and Andy told me that I could make fish like this anytime. Abigail ate most of her piece, Zander was afraid of it, ate his mandatory two bites, but no more. We've declared it a keeper and will keep Crispy Baked Pollock in mind for when the fish fancy strikes.

Crispy Baked Pollock

1 1/2 pounds pollock fillets
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup panko
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
pinch of sea salt
Cooking Spray

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine egg and milk, beat well. In separate shallow dish, combine cornflake crumbs, panko, garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, lemon pepper, and sea salt.

Take the fillets, one at a time, and first dip them in the egg wash, shake the excess off, and then dredge in the crumb mixture. Coat both sides of the fish and place on your baking sheet. Repeat until you've used all the fillets.

Spray the fillets lightly with cooking spray and pop into the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.