Crumbed Fish & Loaded Mash
My girlfriend told me her kid would eat a dog turd if she crumbed it. I laughed, but I wondered.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1kg potatoes
1 cup zucchini, grated
250g frozen spinach
1/2 cup mozzarella, cut into cubes
1/2 cup cheddar, grated
60g butter
2 tbsp rice bran oil
1kg white fish, cut into fish finger sizes, about 3cm x 3cm x 10cm
2 eggs, forked
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 lemon
salt, for seasoning
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Rough chop the potatoes into about sixths to reduce the size of the skins, making sure they're even in size so they cook evenly and quickly. Boil until soft when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes, then add the zucchini and butter to the bottom of the pan and let sweat for a minute.
Add the potatoes back on top and chunky mash with a hand masher.
Add the frozen spinach to cool it all down and stir through.
Fold in the cheeses and season well.
Add 1 tbsp of the oil to the base of a ceramic or metal baking dish (30cm round, 5cm deep), then spoon in the mash, leaving the top rough and chunky. Drizzle with the remaining oil and a sprinkle of salt.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, coat the fish in the eggs, then into the panko, then onto a tray. Repeat with all the fingers.
Heat oil in a frypan over medium heat until a crumb sizzles when dropped in.
Shallow fry the fish until golden, about 2 minutes each side, in batches until all done.
Serve with lemon.
HINTS
I accidentally forgot the flouring step here... but it worked, so I'm deliberately leaving it out. My point is that mistakes happen, but delicious food is still eaten - it's just easier.
While I agree we shouldn't completely HIDE veg, the naked beauty of them is often lost on the immature, so I like to dress them in all layers of Disney-esque flounce - or in this case, gooey cheese and carbs with a side of crispy crumb.
Leaving the top of the mash rough and chunky before it goes in the oven is what gets you all those golden, crispy peaks.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: 15,100 kJ (3600 cal)
Protein: 250 g
Fat: 150 g
Saturated fat: 60 g
Carbohydrate: 275 g
Sugars: 15 g
Fibre: 25 g
Sodium: 2500 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.