Panko Crusted Catfish

Panko Crusted Catfish.

Who doesn’t love breaded fish? As a kid growing up, I could always get on board with fish sticks. I don’t know what it was about them, but I think it’s the fact that kids will pretty much eat anything that is breaded and crunchy.  Much like every other food that never existed prior to the 50’s Fish sticks themselves were created in the post World War 2 baby boom. The first actual “fish sticks” were created by Gorton-Pew Fisheries (yes that Gorton), in 1953. My theory is that fish sticks existed long before that in the variety that most people know them as which is fish and chips. Fun fact, fish and chips came to the U.K. by way of Jewish refugees from Portugal and Spain in the 16th century. That seems to be a trend throughout culinary history, people get persecuted, people leave said area of persecution, people arrive to new place, people still need to eat, and voila! New food!

What I tried to recreate was that same fish stick texture, the nice crunchy top with a soft and warm inside. That’s pretty much where the similarities stop. I used catfish, which can tend to get a bad rap. Catfish depending on whether it was caught responsibly can be very healthy. Catfish if you haven’t already guessed are bottom feeders. Why are they bottom feeders? Well they have dense heads and they are negatively bouyant so instead of floating to the top, they sink to the bottom of the water. Their whiskers serve as a sensory organ providing a number of various sensory functions for the fish itself. As a food, catfish is consumed all over the world, they are very high in Vitamin D and are a good source of protein. Catfish is a pleasant whitefish that has a delicate texture, I find it way tastier than cod which has no flavor in my opinion.

Using the panko crust here I avoided having to fry the fish at all so this is a super healthy dish while delivering a tasty punch.

Recipe – Panko Crusted Catfish

Ingredients

1 Catfish

1 Tbsp. Mayo

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 Tbsp. Fresh Dill

1/4 Cup of Panko

1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F, place coconut oil on a cast iron pan. Heat pan for about 10 minutes.

Mix the dill, mayo, and mustard together. Brush it onto the fish. Cover the fish, especially the top with the panko. It’s not a big deal if the side of the fish that touches the pan gets breaded.

Remove the pan from the oven. Now gently place the fish onto the pan. Bake at 350, until the fish is cooked and the panko is golden brown.

Enjoy!