Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites

When Isaac grew out of his picky eater phase I could not thank God enough. But then two days later, Lucas, who has always been my perfect eater, started turning up his nose at food. OMG! I don’t know what started it or triggered it, but just like that one day he decided he was not going to be my perfect eater and was just going to put me through the drama I used to have with Isaac all over again. I give up! What is up with these kids? Aren’t they supposed to eat more as they grow older? With my boys they seem to eat less as they grow up!!! Grrrrrrrrr

So its back to the drawing board for me. I have to come up with different and interesting recipes that he will like at least enough to take a couple of bites out of. The funny thing is that they both have entirely different tastes. For example, Lucas likes fish whereas Isaac will throw up if I gave him anything but those store bought fish fingers.  Isaac likes chicken but Lucas will just chew the chicken for a bit, get all the juices out and just spit out the meat…. Oyez, lucky me! J

So for most of the part any recipes that I put up from now on will be Lucas’ favourites and hopefully something Issac might eat too. Today’s recipe is a fish one and I know it’s a winner coz both my kids managed to eat a couple of pieces.. This parmesan crusted fish bites were delish. Yes, I had a couple too and so did my husband! J For adults, I’d recommend pairing it with a spicy sauce like Southwest or Chipotle sauce and for kids just ketchup should be fine. This was very simple and quick to make and since it was baked, quite healthy. Serve it with some steamed veges and rice on the side and there you’ve got a completely balanced nutritious meal for your baby!

You can use any white, flaky fish fillets here like cod, tilapia etc. I used Terakihi as that’s what I had on hand. I used Parmesan cheese as it has a strong sharp flavour that is perfect for flavouring fish. And also you can use regular breadcrumbs if you do not have Panko in your pantry. Panko is just Japanese breadcrumbs, pretty much the same as regular breadcrumbs but I think the bits are a bit bigger and coarser than regular ones.

This is such a simple and effortless dish that if you have all your ingredients ready to go, you can make this entire meal in 30 minutes start to finish. J

Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites

Recipe Source: Rasa Malaysia

Ingredients:

8 oz fish fillets (thawed), cut into nugget pieces
1 cup panko (bread crumbs)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut the fish into 1.5-2 inches pieces, pat fry with paper towels. Set on a dish.
2. Spread panko in a thin layer on rimmed baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes, until light brown. Transfer the panko to a shallow dish and mix in the Parmesan cheese and salt. Drizzle the oil and mix well. Set out the flour and eggs in separate dishes. Place a wire rack on the baking sheet, lightly coat with cooking spray.
3. In small batches, coat the fish in flour, shaking off any excess, dip in egg, and lastly coat well with panko. Transfer to the rack. Bake the fish until desired tenderness, about 15 minutes, turning when halfway through. Serve the fish nuggets with ketchup.