Although this meal was eaten on Good Friday, I posted it today because I wanted you to see my lovely Iggy.
A few weeks ago I bought a new cookbook written by the Director of the Center for Healthy Cooking at Hadassah University Hospital & a Le Cordon Bleu Chef.
I have long known that the food of the Middle East is healthy and extremely diabetic-friendly. Nuts, fruits and vegetables take center stage and citrus and vinegars are the main flavoring agents along with unique spices and herbs only grown in that region.
Not well embraced by Americans it is slowly making it's way into our restaurants, food trucks and blogs.
I love the foods of the Middle East and Mediterranean regions and should cook them more.
That is why I thought this book could help me get a good start in better understanding the foods there.
When I tell you the first recipe I bookmarked from this new cookbook was this dish of Fish n Chips, you might want to immediately scold me. This is NOT a Middle Eastern recipe. This has the UK written all over it.
I know, I know. but it happens to be one of my favorite splurge foods and his technique for a crunchy coating was something I had never seen before. That peaked my interest and that of The Nudge. I had to make this.
Perfect for Good Friday, it went right on the menu. As a matter of fact, my whole menu plan was officially a
mess.
OK, I will tell you two things about this dish. I did not use halibut (at $18.99 a pound, sorry, not for a first time test) but turns out the cod I chose was too flaky. I also did not bake them on a rack like I should have. I used a sheet pan and the bottoms steamed.
All this being said it was surprisingly good. Light and tasty, the flavor of the fish shined through and The Nudge thought it was good. He actually liked it, even after I gave him permission to not have to make me feel better, he could tell the truth.
I only wish the coating stayed on the fish and not in the pan because what there was of it was delicious and crunchy. I am not giving up and already have ideas on how to improve and make this work better. I think a mahi mahi or monk fish would work extremely well and even tilapia will work well.
I am sorry but tilapia tastes like fake fish to me, so I will use a mahi mahi for my next test.
If I can nail this coating on fish, it should work really good on chicken also.
The following recipe is as written without any adjustments from outside sources (namely me).
Fish 'n' Chips
serves 8/serving size: 4 pieces of fish + 1 cup chips
Adapted from Delicious Diabetic Recipes
Chips:
* 16 baby potatoes, cut into small wedges
* 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fish:
* 1 cup unsweetened and unsalted puffed rice cereal
* 1 large egg, beaten
* 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
* 1/4 teaspoon each salt & pepper
* 8 4-ounce tilapia fillets
* 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1. Prepare potatoes: preheat oven to 450° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place potatoes in a large bowl and season with salt & pepper. Add oil and toss to coat.
2. Arrange potatoes, skin side down on baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned.
3. While potatoes are baking, prepare fish: Place puffed rice in a food processor and process until crushed but not pulverized (can also be done in a plastic bag with a rolling pin). Transfer to a flat plate. In a small bowl, mix egg with salt & pepper.
4. Cut each fish into quarters and season with Old bay, salt & pepper. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice on each fillet. One by one, dip fillets in beaten egg then in crushed rice cereal, to coat on both sides. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange fish on baking sheet.
5. Bake fish for 6 minutes. Then set oven to broil. Broil fish for 2 minutes, turning over after one minute, until crunchy.
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Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit a part of my little world. Just remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in the world of food....."va tutto bene" (it's all good).