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Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish Fillets with Old Bay Dipping Sauce

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"Full-on from-scratch batter-fried fish and chips, while undeniably delicious, are tough to pull off in an hour. This quick recipe delivers moist, flavorful fillets with a crunchy crust as irresistible as fried�but from the oven. Panko bread crumbs crisp right up in a hot oven to create a satisfyingly crunchy crust. Pre-toasting them maximizes that crunch while doing so in the microwave maximizes ease. Before applying a thick layer of the browned crumbs, dip the fillets into the sticky wash of mayonnaise, flour, and eggs. Baking the coated fish on a wire rack allows the hot oven to air to circulate, crisping all sides for fish that your friends and family will think was fried. For finger food dipping, try the fish stick variation."

List of Ingredients

Old Bay Dipping Sauce:
◦ � cup plain Greek yogurt
◦ � cup mayonnaise
◦ 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
◦ 1 � teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

Fish:
◦ 2 large eggs
◦ � cup mayonnaise
◦ � cup all-purpose flour
◦ 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
◦ � teaspoon salt
◦ � teaspoon pepper
◦ 2 cups panko bread crumbs
◦ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
◦ 4 (6- to 8-ounce) skinless haddock, black sea bass, cod, hake, or pollock fillets, 1 inch thick


Recipe

For the sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside for serving.

For the fish: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, set wire rack in sheet, and spray with vegetable oil spray. Whisk eggs, mayonnaise, flour, lemon zest, salt, and pepper together in shallow dish.

Toss panko with oil in bowl until evenly coated. Microwave, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer toasted panko to second shallow dish.

Pat haddock dry with paper towels. Working with one fillet at a time, dredge haddock in egg mixture, letting excess drip off, then coat with panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer fillets to prepared rack.

Bake until crumbs are golden and haddock registers 135 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer haddock to platter and serve with sauce.

Serves 4
Total Time: 40 minutes





❧ Variation�Crunchy Oven-Fried Fish Sticks:
Working with one fillet at a time, cut haddock fillets into �-inch-wide by 4-inch-long strips. Decrease baking time in step 5 to 10 to 12 minutes.