Lemon Scented Crusted Cod Fillet

Lemon Scented Crusted Cod Fillet - the only thing that could have made it better would be devouring a plate of it at a dining table overlooking the aqua blue waters while basking in the sunshine of the Caribbean. In my dreams! I dined on this luscious piece of fish looking out of windows with fading sunlight and frozen white stuff still on the ground.

• 1 1/4 lbs. cod filet
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 3 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. lemon zest (large lemon)
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

1. Using a food processor, grind up 1/2 of the panko bread crumbs until they are pretty fine. Take the other half and crunch them between your hands. What you want are crumbs that are fine and some still with texture so they adhere well to the fish.
2. In a deep plate crack an egg and whisk together with the milk, adding salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Cut the filet into pieces that make sense. You most likely will have 2 thick loins, another piece that is about half the depth of the loin and two thinner end pieces.
4. Season both sides of the fish with salt and black pepper.
5. To the panko bread crumb add a little salt and some black pepper along with the lemon zest. Mix well to combine.
6. Dip the fish in the egg wash and wash all sides of the fish.
7. Place the fish in the bread crumb and coat all sides, pressing the crumbs onto the fish.
8. In a deep skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and the oil until the butter starts to bubble.
9. Add in the thicker pieces of fish (the loin sections) and turn the heat down to medium. Cook until golden brown on one side which is approximately 3 minutes. Turn the fish over and add in the next thickest piece. When that has a chance to cook for about two minutes on one side, add in the remaining thin fillets.
10. Adjust the heat as necessary so you don't burn the fish, add a touch more oil if necessary. The loins can be flipped back over along with the other fish. Take the thin cutlets out first as they cook the quickest and place them on paper towels to absorb some of the fat, then on a plate to keep warm in a 200° oven, or under a heat lamp.
11. The loins take about 10-12 minutes total cooking time depending on the thickness, so turn over as necessary in the pan. They are the last pieces to pull out.

I served this dinner over a bed of rice with baby peas (used a bag of frozen) and with a lemon twist and my home made tartar sauce. You can click on the links for my tartar sauce and rice recipes.
The 1 1/4 pound filet yielded 5 pieces total. There were 2 loins, a piece about half as thick as the loin and 2 thinner fillets. Enough for 2 adults and 3 small children. Cod cost $7.46 and for feeding five people, this nets out to $1.49 per person. If I add in the rice and peas and all other ingredients including the tartar sauce it comes out to $12.22. Therefore, the per person price is $2.44 each.