Fancy Fish Sticks

I haven’t posted anything in a while since I was back home for my bachelorette party and bridal shower. I was definitely spoiled while there with my father doing most of the cooking that would put me and my blog to shame. Needless to say, I had an amazing time and pigged out. Now that I am back home I guiltily went for a quick run tonight to get back into the routine and burn off some of what I indulged in over the weekend. And am also back into the grind to try out more recipes. Tonight’s is another from our Cooking Light magazine that was only slightly altered.

I think almost everyone as a kid had fish sticks. When we saw this recipe we were brought back to our childhood and wanted to try an adult version. Part of the fun is all of the dipping and getting your hands dirty. The bonus is that it only calls for a ½ cup of beer so there is some left over for you to drink. They turned out crispy on the outside with a moist and flaky inside.

With this recipe you definitely want to have everything out and prepared first. I had Jason cut up the fish since I bad at eyeballing the sizes. Then you season with the fish directly with a sprinkle of salt.

Next, I went through and made my 3 dishes with the various mixtures. First up is the flour mixture. Use one hand for the dry mixture and one for the wet to avoid a huge mess.

The 2^nd dish has the egg, mustard, lime and beer to help bind everything. By adding the beer and whisky until foamy it will keep it fluffy instead of gummy.

The 3^rd dish is the panko and spices to keep it hearty. I had whole wheat panko so mine look a bit darker brown.

Place the finished pieces on the warm, oiled baking sheet and place in the oven for 15 minutes

Fancy Fish Sticks

Serves 4

Ingredients

Cooking spray

1 Tablespoon canola oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup lager-style beer

1 ½ Tablespoons creamy mustard blend

1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 large egg whites

1 large egg

2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) – I used whole wheat

1/3 cup unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper

1lb halibut or other lean white fish fillet (such as cod that I used), cut into 4 x 1-inch pieces (about 12 pieces)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

4 lime wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray, and spread evenly with oil; heat in oven 12 minutes.

3. Combine flour and black pepper in a shallow dish. Combine ½ cup beer, mustard blend, lime juice, egg whites, and egg in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk until foamy. Place panko, pumpkinseeds, cumin, and chipotle pepper in a food processor; pulse 20 times or until coarse crumbs form. Place panko mixture in a shallow dish.

4. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt. Working with one piece at a time, dredge fish in flour mixture. Dip in egg mixture, and dredge in panko mixture until completely covered.

5. Remove preheated baking sheet from oven; place fish on pan, and return to oven. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork, turning once. Serve immediately with sauce and lime wedges.

Source: Cooking Light