For a quick weeknight meal, it's difficult to beat a perfectly fresh piece of fish cooked quickly in a skillet. But like most people, we find it's often a challenge to keep flaky-but-firm textured fish from sticking to a pan as it cooks.
That's why we were so excited to find this recipe from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats. Halibut, striped bass or even swordfish all cook beautifully with this recipe. By lightly breading only one side of the filet, the recipe makes the fish easy to cook without being overly heavy. It's a perfect weeknight meal that's fancy enough for a special occasion.
Recipe adapted from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2014/09/the-easiest-crispy-pan-seared-fish-food-lab-recipe.html
Ingredients
4 8 oz filets of halibut or other firm textured white fish
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 large eggs, beaten
3 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper
Tartar sauce, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving
Method:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit (220 degrees celsius).
Generously salt and pepper fish filets on all sides. Working with one filet at a time, lightly dredge one side of the filet in flour, then dip in egg, and then dredge in the panko. Rest the filet on a tray breaded side up and repeat with three other filets.
Heat the oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Gently place the filets, breaded side down, into the hot oil. When the breading is golden brown, flip the filets and place in the hot oven to finish cooking. Cook until the internal temperature of the filets is 145 degrees fahrenheit, approximately 6-8 minutes.
Serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges.