For many years I was rather intimidated by cooking fish. My idea of having fish for dinner was to pick up a package of Gorton’s fish sticks. Frozen fish sticks are not all bad, but I eventually discovered that there were much tastier homemade options.

My current favorite method is to use a homemade crumb coating made with Ritz crackers and spices that I mix in my food processor.  I usually use my crumb coating with talipia fillets and it really helps to disguise the “fishy” taste.  It’s quick, easy, and so good!  It’s become a favorite at our house and is now in my regular rotation of meals.  I almost always have the ingredients for the crumb coating on hand because it doesn’t require anything fancy – just crackers, a few spices, parmesan, and butter.  I can handle that!

HERB CRUMB COATING FOR FISH
( Print This Recipe )

14 Ritz crackers
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 cup butter – melted (1/2 a stick)

Fish fillets, such as Talipia (this is enough coating for about 6 fillets)

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9×13 pan.

2.  Place the crackers, parmesan, and spices in a food processor and mix until it is fine crumbs that are well blended.  Dump the mixture out onto a dinner plate.

3.  Melt the butter in the microwave in a small dish.  (You will be dipping the fish fillets in the melted butter so pick a dish that is an appropriate size).

4.  Press a fish fillet in the melted butter, turning to coat both sides.  Then press the fish fillet into the crumb mixture, again, turning to coat both sides.  Place the crumb coated fillet into your greased 9×13 pan.

5.  Continue until all your fillets have been dipped in the butter, and then coated in the crumb mixture, and placed in the baking pan.

6.  Bake in the 400 degree oven, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes.

A Few More Notes:

- I often buy the bag of frozen talipia fillets at Aldi to use in this recipe.  Just make sure your talipia fillets are thawed first.

- I usually have some left over crumb mixture which I then sprinkle over the fillets in the pan, just because I hate to be wasteful.

- When ready to serve, these fillets taste great with a little more melted butter drizzled over them, and some fresh lemon squirted on them too.

- I always use my food processor but a blender would also work.  If you don’t have any high tech gadgets, a ziploc bag and a rolling pin to crush the ingredients works too.

The next thing I’m going to try is making a triple batch of this recipe and keep it on hand so it’s all ready to go.  I think that should work pretty good, don’t you?