Crispy Fish Nuggets

I've been trying lately to make kid-friendly food for the whole family and to also feed my family more fish.  When I saw this in the most recent Cooking Light, I bought the ingredients that day.  My husband and I loved these (especially with the tartar sauce from Trader Joe's that has jalapeno in it) and the girls ate them dipped in ketchup but didn't love them.  Cod is really healthy for you - aside from the general benefits of omega-3s in your diet, it packs a whopping 22 grams of protein and only 100 calories in a 5oz serving.  It's a "lower  mercury" fish as well which is important when you're feeding kids.

A few recipe notes:  I found great frozen Alaskan cod at Sprouts.  I don't like my cutting boards being smelly from fish so I cut my cod filets into pieces while they was still nearly frozen solid (no runny fish juice).  The more uniform the size of your nuggets are, the more evenly they'll bake.  Toasting the panko makes it crispy instead of getting soggy at all.  

Crispy Fish Nuggets (4 servings)

from Cooking Light October 2013

1.5 lbs cod, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 T chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup all purpose flour

 2 T water

1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add panko and thyme and toast for 2 minutes or until golden brown, shaking pan often.  Add salt and pepper to the panko mix.  Make 3 shallow bowls:  One with the flour, a second with the water and egg, and a third with the panko mix.  

Take a piece of fish, dredge in the flour, dip in the egg mixture, and coat with the panko.  Place it on a greased baking sheet (I lined mine with foil and sprayed with olive oil spray).  Repeat until all the pieces are done.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the outside is lightly brown and crispy and the inside is moist and flaky.  Serve with tartar sauce.