eWellness Center

By Carol Donnelly

Fish & Chips

Here in New England, Friday night is fish & chips night. When I was a kid, I remember standing in line at the local fish monger with my mother to get the huge orders of flaky fish wrapped in crispy, golden blanket laid on a mountain of French fries with a small container of coleslaw and another of tartar sauce nestled into opposing corners of the container.  

As I got older, I noticed just about everyone started offering fish & chips on their menus. The problem was most of it was greasy, soggy masses of flavorless fish plopped onto mounds of even soggier, limp French fries. The other problem is fish & chips are really high in fat and calories. So, here’s a homemade healthier version that delivers on crunch and taste, and comes together relatively quickly.  

Ingredients 

Cooking spray 

1-1/3 cups whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs 

1 large egg 

1/3 cup fat free skim milk 

¼ cup all-purpose flour 

1 Tbsp cornstarch 

1 tsp onion powder 

½ tsp garlic powder 

½ tsp paprika 

½ tsp Italian seasoning 

1 tsp table salt 

½ tsp black pepper 

16 uncooked string beans 

2 4oz filets of uncooked Pacific or Atlantic cod—fresh or frozen and thawed (any white fish will do) 

Directions 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. 

2. In a bowl or deep pie plate, mix egg, milk, flour, cornstarch and spices together until combined. Spread Panko breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. 

3. Prep green beans and make sure they are dry, before dipping beans in wet mixture. Let excess batter drip off, before coating beans with the Panko. Place beans in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Make sure to leave enough room for fish. 

4. Pat fish filets dry with a paper towel, before dipping them in remaining wet mixture. Let excess batter drip off before coating with Panko. Place on cookie sheet next to green beans. Spray top of fish and green beans with a light coat of cooking spray. 

5. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until fish is just opaque in center, turning green beans and fish halfway through. 

6. Serve immediately.