Almond-Crusted Mahi Mahi

We try to eat fish at least once a week. That intention seems healthier than making an excessive bowl of pasta — excessive seems to be the only way I know how to eat pasta. However the weekly fish dish doesn’t always happen. I might cook shrimp instead. Or there are leftovers in the frig that need to be eaten.

Because of my fish mission, I’m always on the look-out for easy and different fish recipes. This is where having dozens of subscriptions to food blogs comes in handy.

Do you subscribe to food blogs? You can subscribe to blogs by email, but I prefer RSS subscriptions so my inbox isn’t cluttered up and all my posts sit in my Google Reader ready for me when I’m ready for them. If all that sounds like Greek to you – RSS? Google Reader? – please check out my intro to Google Reader post on my other blog, Reid All About It. In it I give step-by-step instructions on setting up and using Google Reader.

Google Reader changed my life. I’m not exaggerating. It gave me convenient and easy access to a world of learning, both professional and personal. Give it a try.

I found this recipe on the Aggie’s Kitchen blog. She used tilapia for this recipe but the only tilapia at my supermarket was still frozen so I went with mahi mahi instead.

I had to skin the mahi mahi first, but that wasn’t so hard. Some fish are easier to skin than others. Instead of describing the procedure, I’m sending you to the instructions on the Beyond Salmon blog. I just now discovered this blog by googling “skinning fish” and, wouldn’t you know it, I might subscribe to that one too.

My mahi mahi fillet separated in two during the skinning process, one thicker and one much thinner portion. But I cooked it all for the same amount of time. If it was overcooked, we didn’t notice because of the coating.

And sweet mahi, that coating was delicious. A sweet nutty flavor with a hint of cinnamon and something else in the background that had to be the Old Bay. Next time I might add a bit of cayenne to the coating mixture because we like a bit of heat. The bottom of the fillets browned to a nice flavorful crunch.

I had the leftovers in a sandwich the next day, soooo good. This one’s a winner, folks!

He's a beauty! (photo by Erik Charlton)

Almond Crusted Mahi Mahi

• 3/4 lbs mahi mahi fillet(s), skinned
• 1/2 cup sliced or slivered unsalted almonds, finely chopped
• 1-1/2 tablespoons plain dried or panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 425. Cut fish into serving portions. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper and set aside. Lightly oil or coat a baking sheet or casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine almonds, bread crumbs, brown sugar, Old Bay, salt, cinnamon, pepper and cayenne pepper (optional) in a shallow bowl. Whisk together the egg and water in another bowl, and place the flour on a plate.

Coat both sides of the fish with flour and shake off the excess. Dip in the egg and then coat evenly with the nut mixture. Place the fish on the baking sheet or in the casserole dish and bake until golden brown and the fish is cooked through, about 15 minutes, but the timing will depend upon the thickness of your fish.

Original recipe: Almond Crusted Tilapia, Aggie’s Kitchen