Crispy Baked Fish

In the Upper Midwest, the good old Friday Fish Fry has been a tradition for generations.  Every food serving joint from upscale restaurants to bowling alleys to Grandma's house has a Friday Fish Fry special on the menu (around here, lake perch is the most popular choice).  Growing up, especially during Lent, we ate fried fish practically every single Friday either ordered from somewhere or made right in our own kitchen.  And it was good.  Darn good.

Since I'm not a fan of frying fish inside my house on any given day, we still get to enjoy the occasional Friday Fish at home, just not fried.  In this recipe, I use milk to prepare the fish for breading.  My grandmothers did this without explanation (but they fried their fish); I assume that it helps to reduce any potential "fishiness", although I'm not completely certain about that theory.  I do know that I like it just as much as I like the more traditional beer or egg batters.

After the fish is dipped in the milk, it is dredged in flour, then back into the milk again before being coated in a breadcrumb and cornmeal mixture.  This "double dipping" helps create a crunchy, crispy crust, and adding a drizzle of butter before baking in a hot oven helps it become that much crisper.

This crispy fish makes a fantastic sandwich, too.  As I mentioned in my Tartar Sauce post, try it topped with slices of onion and tomato, some shredded lettuce, and stuffed between two thick slices of rye bread slathered with plenty of tartar sauce.  Served with coleslaw and roasted potatoes, it becomes a healthier and more economical version of our traditional Friday Fish Fry plate, and tastes oh so good!

Crispy Baked Fish
serves 6

• 1 1/2 lbs meaty white fish fillets (such as cod or haddock), cut into 6 equal size portions
• 3/4 c milk
• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c dried breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c cornmeal (preferably a non-gmo, organic brand such as the one from Arrowhead Mills)
• 2 Tbs lemon zest
• 2 tsp dried dill
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• few grinds fresh black pepper
• 3 Tbs melted butter

Preheat oven to 500F.  Lightly oil a rimmed baking sheet.

Place the milk in a shallow bowl.  In another shallow bowl, mix the flour and salt.  In a third shallow bowl, combine the next 8 ingredients (through the ground black pepper).

One at a time, dip the fish fillets in the milk, dredge in the flour.

Step 1

Step 2

Dip the fish back in the milk, then dredge in the crumbs.

Step 3

Step 4

Arrange the fillets at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking pan.  Drizzle the fillets with butter.

Step 5

Bake in preheated oven 7-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish; 3/4"-1" thick fillets take about 10 minutes), or until golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with tartar sauce, if desired.