Crumbed Red Spot Whiting
SERVINGS: 6
PREP TIME: 25
COOKING TIME: 12
Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
500 g red spot whiting fillets
Canola oil, or a similar mild-tasting oil for shallow frying.
Optional:
Fried parsley, aioli, and lemon wedges, to serve
Also works with:
- Buttermilk, as a substitution for eggs.
- Paper towel, to soak up excess oil from the fillets.
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 40°C fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper, and place a rack on top the tray. Warm in the oven.
- Place flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Crack the eggs into a bowl, whisk, and set aside. Place the breadcrumbs into another shallow bowl.
- Pat the fish dry using some paper towel. Lightly dust each fillet in seasoned flour, before coating it in egg mixture. Allow the excess egg to drip away from the fillet, then evenly coat it with breadcrumbs.
- Pour the oil into a large shallow frying pan, using just enough oil to cover the base of the pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Once the oil is up to temperature, cook the fish in small batches to ensure that you do not overcrowd the oil [Note 1]. The fish should be cooked for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and crisp. Once cooked, transfer the fish over to your rack in the oven. This will keep it warm while you are cooking the remaining batches, and allow some of the oil to drain away.
- Optional: Sprinkle fried parsley over the top of the fish, and serve with aioli and lemon wedges.
Notes:
[1] Overcrowding the oil – Adding too much food at once will drastically lower the cooking temperature of your oil. Instead of producing a crispy, golden brown fillet of fish – which is what we’re after, the overcrowded oil will produce a soggy and greasy fillet with an unappealing colour.
