Recently I have been trying to become more aware of where my food comes from and I have learned two things: wild-caught fish is better for the environment, and farmed fish are given antibiotics, which can be harmful to humans. I am allergic to soy so I cannot eat fried food from restaurants anymore since most eateries use vegetable(soybean) oil for frying food. That means no more french fries or any of those delightful fried goodies for me. It works out to be much healthier for me though, which is a good thing. I occasionally splurge and make fries from scratch and they are worth the effort!
My mom always made fish like this when I was growing up. I love fish cooked this way!
12 ounces of wild-caught fish. I used frozen Whole Market Sole from Whole Foods but you can use whitefish, flounder, talapia, or a similar fish.
1 cup of soy-free bread crumbs. You can use panko bread crumbs or 365 brand of bread crumbs from Whole Foods Market.
1 organic egg
1 tablespoon organic milk
Organic canola oil or almond oil
1/4 tsp Seasoned Salt (without MSG)
1/4 tsp Old Bay seasoning. If you need to avoid sodium use garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper instead.
Organic Russet or Idaho potatoes. 2 small potatoes per person or 1 large potato per person.
Sea Salt
Black Pepper
One bag frozen organic asparagus or 1/2 pound fresh organic asparagus.
1 garlic clove
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Wash and peel the potatoes. Chop them into steak fries, shoestring, or cubes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and fill the pot with water until the potatoes are just covered. Bring the water to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-high and simmer until the potatoes start to soften. You should be able to pierce a piece with a fork but you don't want them to get too soft. After about 5-8 minutes, drain the water and keep the potatoes in the pot. Heat a frying pan or skillet with 1/4 - 1/2 cup of oil on medium heat. You may need to turn the heat down if they cook to fast or the oil gets too hot. Once the oil is hot, place as many pieces as will fit in a single layer. The goal is not to deep fry your food. Lightly cooking at a lower temperature is much better than deep frying food. The potatoes shouldn't be covered with oil, you need just enough to cook one side of the french fry. The potatoes may stick when you put them in the oil so gently move them around a little when you put them in. Flip the fries to cook evenly once one side begins to brown. It can take up to 10 minutes per each batch of potatoes but keep an eye on them because over-cooking makes them crunchy and hard - you want them lightly browned. As each batch of fries are cooked, remove them from the oil into a bowl lined with paper towels to soak up the oil. Immediately upon removing them from the oil, lightly toss them with some sea salt and black pepper, or any other seasoning that you wish.
While the potatoes are cooking, place the egg and milk in a bowl and lightly beat with a fork, until mixed. In another bowl, place the bread crumbs and seasonings. Remove the fish from the packaging and using one piece at a time, dip completely in the egg and then place in the bread crumbs. Make sure each piece is covered well and set aside. Heat the 1 tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Turn the heat down a bit and place the fish in the pan. You may need to cook it in batches depending on how big the pan is. It only takes 2-3 minutes per side, once the bottom starts to brown, flip the fish and cook the other side. If it gets too dark too quickly, turn the heat down. Once the fish is cooked, remove it from the pan and place on paper towels to soak up the oil.
For the asparagus: If you are using fresh asparagus, fill a pot halfway with fresh water and bring to a boil. Snap or cut the bottoms of the asparagus and then place the asparagus in the boiling water. Blanch them for 1 minute. If you are using frozen asparagus, boil them until no longer frozen - you don't need to cut the bottoms. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet the fish was cooked in and place 1 minced clove of garlic in the oil for 30 seconds before adding the asparagus. Sauté until lightly browned and tender. Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Serve with the fish and fries.
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