date nights and pan fried cod

Being a grad student, planning a wedding, and maintaining a healthy relationship with my fiancé takes some work.  Josh has been so amazing and supportive of my school and how much time and energy it takes.  One of the things that we have done to keep things exciting is to have date nights every Friday.  Not that me sitting in the same room studying while he does fun non school related things isn't exciting... We've loved trying out new restaurants here and exploring our new home together.  It seems kind of silly to have to schedule date nights ahead of time, but with our schedules it really helps make it a priority for us.

Last Friday night was a little different for us because I had to go to Relay For Life, so I decided to make a special dinner for us at home before I left.  Being from Wisconsin and all, we love our fish frys.  If you're not sure what a fish fry is, it's basically fish and chips.  Growing up, we would go out for a fish fry pretty much every Friday with our family and friends.  Well, they don't exactly have that here in Iowa, so I thought I would try to recreate it at home - Annie style.  

This fish is not breaded and deep fried.  It is however, extremely flavorful and delicious.  The combination of panko, parmesan, and sesame seeds gives a nice nutty crunch to every bite.  It's good with a squeeze of lemon, dipped in tartar sauce, or just plain too.  I have a hunch this would also make a delicious fish sandwich, if you're into that sort of thing.

Panko Parmesan Pan Fried Cod

Ingredients

• 1 lb wild caught cod
• 1 egg white
• 1/4 c milk
• 1/4 c panko 
• 1/8 c whole wheat flour
• 1/8 c sesame seeds
• 2 T parmesan cheese
• 1 t sea salt
• 1/2 t cayenne pepper
• 1/4 t dried basil
• 1/4 t dried oregano
• 2 T extra virgin olive oil

Directions

-Cut fish into about 6 pieces

-Mix egg white and milk in a shallow bowl

-Mix other dry ingredients in a shallow bowl

-Heat large skillet over medium - high heat and drizzle with olive oil

-Dip fish into milk and then dredge into the panko mixture using your hands to make sure the fish is completely coated

-Put into hot skillet and cook 7-8 minutes per side until crust is golden brown and the fish flakes easily.  If you notice the fish is brown but the middle is not cooked through, turn down the heat a little bit.  Likewise, if the crust isn't browning, turn the heat up.

-Serve with tartar sauce for dipping, and a salad, vegetable or potato

We had ours with some homemade salt and vinegar chips.  This is no traditional fish fry, but it was a perfect quick date night (or any night) meal.