Cashew Crusted Sole

My good friend Sheila from LiveWell360 posted a nice little fish recipe during the summer that I was meaning to try out and finally got my act together and did it. She used Barramundi but as she pointed out, it’s not that readily available so I wanted to use a fish that people would be more likely to find in their local store. I’ve always been a big fan of sole and I remember as a kid eating breaded plaice and chips for dinner on occasion. Back then this was available in the frozen fish variety so this time I tried to replicate that old favourite with my own healthier fresh version (inspired by Sheila’s post). As for healthier chips, I’ve got two great versions, grilled or baked.

Alright, enough of this chit chat. Here’s my version of this recipe. Enjoy.

RECIPE:

Serves 4

4 x 6 oz Sole fillets

2 oz raw cashews

1/2 cup low-fat Parmesan cheese, grated

1 cup Ener-G bread crumbs (gluten free)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

2 organic egg whites + 1 whole organic egg

2 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Put cashews, Parmesan, bread crumbs, S&P & spices in food processor and pulse for 20 seconds or so to combine. Put in a shallow mixing bowl or casserole dish.

In a another bowl, whisk egg whites for 30 seconds.

Line an oven tray or baking sheet with parchment paper and make an assembly line with the egg whites first, then bread crumb mixture followed by the tray.

TIP: Use your left hand for dipping into the eggs and your right hand for the dry mix. This will make it much easier, especially if you’re making a few more of these.

Take a fillet of fish and dip it into the egg wash, making sure to coat both sides. Hold over the bowl to let excess drip into the bowl. Alternatively you could add all the fillets to the egg wash and give ‘em a good swish around to coat well. Once coated, you’d want to individually hold them over the bowl to drain the excess as stated above. In either case, you’ll then immediately dip the fish in the ?breading? mixture pressing it down, so that the mixture sticks. Flip over and do the same to the other side. Place fillet on baking sheet and continue the process, coating each of the other three fillets and placing them in a single layer on the baking sheet.

You can either bake them, as Sheila did, or pan fry them as I did.

Preheat a large nonstick saute pan on med-high then add in 2 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully lay your fish in the pan.

TIP: When you’re laying anything in a hot pan lay it away from you, so the start of the fillet is placed in the direction of your body and the end of the fillet is laid toward the stove. This way the oil splashes away from you, not on you.

Cook for 3 mins or until crust is golden brown. If the fish begins to brown too much, simply reduce the heat. Gently flip over and cook for an additonal 2 mins. Fish should be firm to the touch and nice n’ crispy.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients.