Panko Crusted Baked(or fried) Ocean Trout

So, one of my friends recently asked me something that I have asked my self, and others in the past: is there a fish, that doesn't taste like fish?

I love shellfish but have a hard time eating regular fish most of the time because of that fishy flavor or a fishy smell, so this was really a question that I needed to answer for my self as well as for my friend.  Now we had talked about different fish at the time and several were thrown onto the table as possible candidates for the non-fishy tasting/smelling fish.  Well, there are friends all over the place today, and one of those gave my wife about ten pounds of Ocean Trout(Sea Trout in some markets).  Regular Rainbow Trout are pretty hardy fish and also have a pretty hardy aroma and flavor that keeps me from enjoying it the way I would a steak.( frankly, why eat something if you can not enjoy it?) But this Ocean Trout was different.  It had the color of Tilapia, white with a rosy tint, in a distinctive trout filet shape, and boy when it cooks up, white and flakey, with no fish taste or aroma in the manner I cooked them.  Now you can try this method with other fish to see if it takes away that fishy smell and taste, but as long as I have 9 pounds of this trout left, I don't need any other fish.

Ingredients:

4 Ocean Trout filets

1 Omega-3 egg

8 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs

(Panko bread crumbs are seasoned bread crumbs made in a specific manner. There are as many different

types and brands of Panko as there are of regular bread crumbs.  I chose Panko because it fries or bakes

up to a beautiful golden color, and because all the cooks on T.V. use it. ;)  )

1/8 cup finely chopped chives

2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil(or cooking spray)

1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Method:

Beat egg in small container and blend in the lemon juice with a fork. Pat dry the filets with paper towels.  In a separate dish mix the Panko, chives and parmesan cheese together until thoroughly blended.  Brush one side of each filet with egg-lemon juice mixture, then lay filet into Panko bread crumbs with brushed side down.  Brush egg mixture onto exposed side of filet and then flip filet in Panko bread crumbs to make sure filet is completely and evenly coated. The result is a very lightly breaded fish filet.

For Fried:

Pre-heat 8" skillet with olive oil to medium high.  Place filets one at a time in hot pan.  Cook about two minutes per side, or until Panko is golden brown. Remove from skillet and place on paper towels to drain.

I love this option.  It is a tiny bit less healthy, but oh, so worth it.  The fish comes out tasting like a fried pork chop(if it is not over cooked) and that was the goal here, right?  To have fish that did not taste like fish!

For Baked:

Pre-Heat oven to Hi broil. Make sure that you have a rack in the oven at about the middle. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place the filets on baking sheet.  Place in oven on middle rack for 3-5 minutes per side.  You are watching carefully for the Panko to brown, and you don't want to wait to long because the fish will be over cooked and taste like a seasoned bread stick. If it is not over cooked, you get a nice juicy, lemony tasting filet, that does not taste like fish.

As far as the 'health' factor on this dish….one serving of olive oil is 1 Tbsp @ 14 grams of fat, but 12 grams of that is the good fat, the polyunsaturated fat that your doctor always talks about, the fat that your body NEEDS in order to function properly.

I chose the Omega-3 egg because not all fish is high in this stuff and you can always use more of it.  The Panko bread crumbs are the criminal in this dish, coming in with 430 mg of sodium per 2 Tbsp. So, do you have to use Panko? No, absolutely not.  I chose to use it because of the flavor factor.  As far as calories go, about 248 from the fish and the olive oil together. If you choose to bake, then only calories from the fish at 128 per 3 ounces, which is a filet about 2 inches wide by 5-6 inches long by about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. If you are concerned about exact portions, then a food scale is defiantly recommended.

So, the bottom line is:

Fried=248 calories

           14 grams fat

           430mg Sodium

           350 mg Omega-3 from the egg(each filet will be slightly more due to it's own omega-3)

         

Baked=128 calories

              0 fat from oil

              350 mg omega-3

              430 mg sodium (from the Panko)

Side dish recommendation:

The Zucchini and Asparagus dish went perfect with the fish.