Coated with a thick, crunchy coating of parmesan and garlic breadcrumbs, this is one crumbed fish that everyone is sure to love. Using this recipe, you’ll get a perfect golden crust and perfectly cooked fish every time. And the clincher? It’s on the table in just over 10 minutes. (Oh, and only 260 calories)
I am obsessed with this fish. It is insanely delicious, and it’s crazy that it only takes 15 minutes to make – closer to 10 minutes really, truth be told. The crumb mixture is so delicious I eat the leftovers straight out of the bowl. I like to use panko because the crumbs are larger than ordinary breadcrumbs which makes the crumb so much crunchier and thicker.
The way I cook this fish is a little unorthodox but there’s logic behind my madness! I pan fry the fish very briefly (1 1/2 minutes) on the bottom only, then broil/grill it for 5 minutes – this cooks the top half of the fish and makes the crumbs perfectly golden and the residual heat from the pan continues to cook the bottom half of the fish. The added bonus is that it cooks faster. The usual rule of thumb for the cooking time for fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness (measured at the thickest part of the fish), whereas in this recipe a 1 inch thick fillet cooks in 6 1/2 minutes.
My secret for perfectly golden crumbs is to mix olive oil into the crumb mixture and to broil/grill it rather than baking it – the closer contact to the heat source makes the crumb wonderfully golden without overcooking the fish. When I made this fish just by baking it, the crumb was not as golden and if I left it in for longer to make it golden, the fish would be overcooked.
This is a fantastic recipe to add to your mid week meal rotation! I served it with a simple salad of rocket with a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, and my Garlic White Bean Mash In A Flash.
- 2 firm white fish fillets (about 5 oz / 150g each), skin off, at room temperature
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- Olive oil spray
- Salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
- 2 tbsp parmesan (grated)
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
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Preheat grill / broiler on high (400F/200C).
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Combine the Crumb ingredients and mix well to combine.
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Season each fillet with salt and pepper, then spread the mustard on the top of each fillet.
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Press the crumb mixture onto the mustard on each fillet. Press down firmly to make it stick.
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Spray an oven proof fry pan (preferably non stick) with olive oil and place on stove over high heat.
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Place the fillets in the pan and cook for 1 1/2 minutes, then place under the grill / broiler (about 5"/15cm from the heat source) for 5 minutes.
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The fish is ready when the crumbs are golden brown. Serve immediately.
1. The general rule of thumb is to cook fish at 400F/200C for 10 minutes per 1 inch/2.5 cm thickness (measured at the thickest part of the fish). However this recipe calls for the fish to be cooked for 6 minutes 30 seconds in total because the heat from the fry pan continues to cook the bottom half of the fish while the top half is broiling/grilling. I used perch fillets which were 1 inch thick, about 8"/20cm long.
2. You can also cook this without using the stove, just under the broiler or in the oven. I use the stove / broiling method because I find that it makes the crumbs more golden than just baking it in the oven and cooks it more evenly than just broiling / grilling it (which cooks the top more than the bottom). Plus it's faster.
3. I used perch fillets. But you can use any reasonably firm white fish fillets.
4. All proteins are best cooked at room temperature - it will cook more evenly. If you cook the fish straight out of the fridge then you should broil it for an extra minute.
5. I served this with a simple side of rocket drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and my Garlic White Bean Mash In A Flash.
6. Nutrition per serving.
What is a side Of rocket with lemon and a drizzle of olive oil?
Hi Diane! It’s called Arugula in America 🙂
Made tonight for dinner. Extremely easy. Used thawed tilapia. I should have also added more salt. After doing the quick pan fry, I used my air fryer to finish the filets at 400°, placing them just under the heating element where they toasted nicely.
In fry pan, I deglazed the pan in a balsamic vinaigrette, steam-frying fresh asparagus with salt/pepper and topping salad greens with tomatoes and remaining parmesan topping.
This was super easy, and my partner really liked it. Maybe I didn’t use enough mustard or the fact that I rarely salt anything, but it just a little bland. I will be making it again, and maybe trying a little salt, and more garlicI also used a combination of Italan cheeses–mozzarella, Romano, asiago, and parmesan. I like the tip about using the olive oil in the crumb mixture–it made it adhere to the fish very well.
Hi Kate! Salt definitely reqquired for this one! 🙂 N xx
so you just take the frying pan from the stovetop and put it in the preheated grill?
Yup!
Made with cod & italian bread crumbs. Delish!
That’s wonderful to hear Renee! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed this – N x ❤️
This sounds fabulous. I would like to make it for supper tonight but only have frozen fillets. If I’m using frozen, I need to thaw it first?
yes please, and pat dry 🙂
Sounds SUPER delish! Will be making tonight with Whiting filets. Dont have parsley so I think Ill add sime lime zest? Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Anon! Lime zest sounds fabulous! N x
I’ll be giving this a try from the mitten!! Thanks my friend 😃 I believe I have all but the parsley… but mine is including freshly caught walleye so I’ll have to do without, this time. Btw what is your blog? I’d love to know please.
Freshly caught? YUM! 🙂 And this recipe is on my blog!!!😂