A healthy twist on beloved fried fish. You’re gonna love this dish! It’s great because it gives you the crunch of pan fried fish without all the grease and fat. Its only breaded on one side and its baked, then broiled for extra crunchiness. The roasted sweet potatoes are simply seasoned with olive oil and S&P to let the natural flavor of this delicious vegetable shine. Also, I have included a recipe for the salad that is pictured with this dish….let me just say that adding fresh herbs to your salad will give it such a wonderful burst of flavor. Tearing the leaves just before throwing them into a salad helps retain more flavor than chopping them with a knife. Brightly flavored herbs such as parsley, cilantro, basil and dill are quite tasty in a salad. I avoid stronger, savory herbs such as rosemary, thyme or sage.
Hummus Panko Tilapia
2 large Tilapia fillets (the ones I used were about 1/2 lb each) or 4 smaller fillets, thawed
2/3 c. Panko bread crumbs
1-2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
2 cloves fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp. hummus (your favorite flavor)
S&P
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Rinse off fish and pat dry, place them on a paper towel lined plate. Coat a glass baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
In a small bowl, mix together panko, parsley, garlic, oil and season with S&P. Season both sides of fish with S&P and place on a cutting board with the outside of the fish facing up. So, flat side down, rounded side up. With the back of a spoon or a small rubber spatula, spread a layer of hummus on each piece of fish, making sure to cover it from end to end. If using large fillets about a tablespoon per fillet, or 1/2 tablespoon per smaller fillet. Next, using your hands, add the panko, pressing it firmly onto the hummus. Use more or less depending on what kind of crunch you are looking for. I really packed it on and ended up with 1/3 cup of panko per large fillet. They looked like this before baking….
Place fish in greased baking dish and put ’em in your 400 degree oven. Baking time will ultimately depend on the size of your fillets. For the large pieces, I baked them for 10-11 minutes, then bumped them up to the broiler and broiled for 6-7 minutes to get the panko nice and golden. For smaller fillets 6-8 minutes, and 4-5 under the broiler. Just make sure your fish flakes easily with a fork and you know its done!
© 2011 Jenni Baker
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
1 medium-large sweet potato, washed and cut into 1/2 inch rounds (I leave the skin on…because its good for you!)
Extra virgin olive oil
S&P
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees
In a small bowl, toss sweet potato rounds with a drizzle of olive oil (about 2 tsp.) Use your hands to make sure each piece is thoroughly coated with oil. Place on a cookie sheet. Season both sides of each round with S&P. Drizzle with a touch more oil. Pop them in the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes. Use tongs to flip each piece. They should be browned just a bit. Roast another 5 minutes. Remove from oven.
Side note on making these along with the fish: Due to different cooking temperatures, I roasted the sweet potatoes first then baked the fish. When I switched the oven to broil for the last part of cooking the fish, I popped the sweet potatoes back in the oven so that they would be hot when the fish was ready.
© 2011 Jenni Baker
Also, as pictured, I served this with a small, simple salad…..
Mache and Parsley Salad with Cucumber
2 handfuls Mache, also known as lamb’s lettuce (though any greens you have on hand will work)
6-8 fresh Italian flat leaf parsley leaves, torn
Sliced cucumber
Balsamic vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
S&P
Place greens, parsley, and cucumbers in a bowl. Season with S&P. Drizzle with oil and vinegar. Toss.
Serve. Eat. Enjoy.
© 2011 Jenni Baker
Just a little note on servings: I cook for 2 most of the time, so my recipes generally yield two servings. You can easily double them if you’re cooking for more people. Feel free to email me with any questions in relation to increasing the recipe.
What Jenni Cooks 