Parmesan Crusted Fish Recipe
Baked or Fried, Your Choice
Fish is a great meal, whether it is baked or fried. Two different recipes are given below for both methods of cooking. Both of the recipes include Parmesan cheese as an ingredient for the breading. The first recipe, given in great detail with nutrition information, is for Baked Parmesan Crusted Fish. And, since I am from Costa Rica, I am also including another recipe for fried fish filets that has a tropical twist and is accompanied by a savory-sweet mango sauce. Both recipes are easy to prepare and should take only a half an hour of preparation time.
Baked Parmesan Crusted Fish
Baked fish provides a healthy alternative to fried fish, and it is even more tasty when the breading is flavored by the addition of Parmesan cheese. This low salt and low oil recipe also makes a crunchy surface coating that adds pleasure to each bite. This dish is also easy to prepare for a quick dinner after a busy day at work.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fish fillets, tilapia, bass, cod, pollock, etc
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup crushed corn flakes
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 egg, large
- 1/4 cup milk, whole
- 1 tsp powdered garlic
- 3 tbs Caesar's salad dressing
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tbs olive oil, pomace or virgin
Instructions
- Pre-marinate the fish in the milk and Caeser's salad dressing for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the fish filets thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Oil a cooking sheet with the 2 tbs of olive oil.
- Mix the crushed breadcrumbs, crushed corn flakes, the finely grated Parmesan cheese and the spices in a bowl.
- Drain the marinade from the fish and whip the egg into it. Add a dash of salt if needed.
- Dip the fish fillets in the egg/marinade mixture and then dredge in the breadcrumb mix to fully coat each side.
- Place the filets on the oiled cooking sheet and put them in the hot oven. Bake for 15 minutes.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Serving size: 1/4 lb, or one filet | |
| Calories | 90 |
| Calories from Fat | 36 |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Fat 4 g | 6% |
| Saturated fat 1 g | 5% |
| Unsaturated fat 2 g | |
| Carbohydrates 5 g | 2% |
| Sugar 0 g | |
| Fiber 0 g | |
| Protein 7 g | 14% |
| Cholesterol 71 mg | 24% |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
A Tropical Twist: Coconut Parmesan Crusted Fish
This recipe includes a few ingredients that are more typical of foods from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. However, in this case, the fish is deep-fried instead of baked - so there are a few more calories and fats per serving. If you do this once in a blue moon, that will be okay for your diet. However, the recipe can be adapted for baking as well. The fish can also be served with a tropical salsa that complements it, like one made of mangoes and cilantro given below.
Ingredients
- 4 fish filets
- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if desired)
- 1 egg + 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- oil for frying
Mix the spices, the breadcrumbs and the shredded coconut together. Bread the fish filets twice as described above. Fry in a frying pan with a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil and turn over once each side is golden brown. To minimize the amount of oil on each serving, place the cooked fish on a plate that has a doubled piece of paper towel.
To make the mango-cilantro salsa, cut up a large, ripe mango into small pieces, adding 1/2 of a medium diced onion, 1/4 cup of finely diced red sweet pepper, 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro, a teaspoon of salt and the juice of one lime. Mix all of these ingredients together and let them marinate together for at least an hour before serving with the fried fish.
