Crispy Panko Coated Baked Fish

I’ve made fish all kinds of ways. But my favorite is super flaky, juicy fish with a super crunchy coating. THIS recipe fits the bill!
I made frozen fish sticks the other day to go with the unbelievable Tarter Sauce I made from scratch. Not a real lover of fish sticks. They always taste fishy. But they were crunchy.



That got me thinking.

I usually make baked fish with buttered Ritz cracker topping and a little butter on the bottom, but its not very crunchy. Or I just make it Meuniere style in a fry pan. I’ve also made a Mediterranean style. They were very good, but I prefer the crunchy crumbs.

Then I tried this recipe that uses toasted plain Panko crumbs. The reason you toast ahead of time is because the crumbs would not get toasted enough in the short time the fish cooks.

What do you need to make?

Fresh Fish – I use Haddock as my preferred fish. It’s the flakiest, has no fishy smell, and is easily accessible for me on the East Coast. You can also use Tilapia, Cod or any other white fish you prefer. I have never done it, but you could also use a frozen piece of fish if fresh is not available.

One important point: Make sure your fish is super fresh! You don’t always have to get it from the fish store, I get mine frequently from my market. But they sell a LOT of fish at my market. The ideal smell of fresh fish is “the sea”. Some may have a slight fishy smell, but should never smell real fishy.

Plain Panko Beadcrumbs – I use plain instead of Italian style.

Butter – To melt in with the breadcrumbs to get them nice and toasted and crunchy.

Mayonnaise – To coat your fish with and get the crumbs to stick nicely.

Dijon Mustard – Gives the mayonnaise a zippy taste and flavor

Lemon Juice – adds great flavor to fish. Fresh is preferred. I didn’t have any so I used fresh lime juice and it was delicious.

Dill Weed – I use a little dill weed in the mayonnaise mixture. Fresh is better but dried is OK in a pinch.

How do you make this dynamite fish?

Toast plain Panko bread crumbs in butter in a fry pan until slightly browned. Watch them because they will get over browned in no time. 

Cut your fish into manageable sized pieces and slather the fish with the seasoned mayonnaise with a silicone basting brush. Then press the fish into the toasted bread crumbs. Make sure they are really covered.

Bake on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet with rack inserted. This way the air gets underneath and all sides get crunchy. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, or until instant read thermometer reads 135 degrees F.



This fish has a crunchy coating (bottom and top), is “super” flaky and moist…exactly how fish should be. If I got this in a restaurant, I’d be raving all week about it.

I could make this every day of the week. BUT….I have to have my Tarter Sauce…that’s a MUST!

This fish give a whole new meaning to the lost tradition of fish on Fridays. Super easy…super delicious….