Crunchy Panko Fish with Creme Fraiche Sauce
Plus, 5 Dinners in Real Life
Hi!
The pleasantly warm weather last week turned into hot, dry weather this week just in time for me to realize that I don’t own a single pair of shorts. I’m good at cleaning out a closet, not so good at filling it back up with new clothes.
I mostly favor comfortable skirts in the summer, but clearly I need at least one pair of shorts in my wardrobe. If you’ve also found your summer wardrobe lacking, you might find these recommendations for affordable & comfy shorts, pants and tank-tops helpful. I plan to order some of those shorts, pronto!
This week I’ve been looking for little ways to appreciate summer, even though it’s not my favorite season in Los Angeles. A few things that brought me joy this week…A cactus flower that bloomed for just a few hours one morning, a burst of bright pink Bougainvillea outside our living room window, baby birds that were born near our front porch and finally grew up and took flight, a hidden swing found hanging from a tree in the park.
Recipe of the Week: Crunchy Panko Coated Fish with Creme Fraiche Sauce
This recipe falls into the “fancy” category of family dinners because it feels special and looks very pretty on a plate. But guess what? Panko fish with creme fraiche sauce is really easy to make. I promise! This is a fish recipe that my whole family likes and that I can make quickly on a weeknight.
The creme fraiche sauce tastes a little bit like tartar sauce. It keeps the fish moist and flavorful while it cooks and helps the panko stick. It’s also a deliciously creamy sauce for the cooked fish that’s light and lemony with hints of mustard and dill.
Here’s how you make the meal:
Step 1: Mix creme fraiche with fresh dill, lemon juice, mustard and salt.
Step 2: Toast panko & olive oil in a skillet until lightly browned, 4 minutes.
Step 3: Brush a light layer of creme fraiche sauce over the fish*
Step 4: Pat an even layer of toasted panko over the creme fraiche sauce.
*You can use any type of thin white fish, like tilapia, cod, catfish, etc…
Step 5: Bake the fish at 425F for about 12 minutes or until it easily flakes apart. Serve with the leftover creme fraiche sauce on the side. The sauce is also really good over potatoes and asparagus.
You can find the full recipe with cooking tips here.
5 Dinners in Real Life
I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? I hope that my week of real life dinners will provide helpful recipes & cooking ideas for your family. Here’s what my crew ate last week:
Monday: We ate tofu schnitzel, angel hair pasta tossed with browned butter & grated parmesan and steamed broccoli. You can find a detailed recipe for tofu schnitzel here, but the quick version is that you dredge slices of tofu in flour, egg and seasoned panko then fry it for about 3 minutes a side. It’s so crunchy and delicious! After you make the recipe once and master the technique, it will be a little bit faster and easier to make each time.
I often serve tofu schnitzel with pasta, but it makes a PERFECT tofu sandwich on a toasted hamburger bun with crunchy slaw.
Tuesday: We had the above recipe for fish with panko, plus corn on the cob and Instant Pot steamed potatoes (cut yellow potatoes in fourths, add 1 cup water and steam for 10 minutes at high pressure).
Wednesday: Dinner was the recipe that I sent to paid subscribers this week: Grilled chicken caprese. I served garlic bread on the side and a plate of sliced watermelon. During the summer I often serve fruit as a side dish instead of serving a vegetable.
Thursday: We had vegetarian chili (here’s a good Instant Pot chili recipe) with cheese quesadillas and tortilla chips on the side. Chili might sound like a winter dish but it’s also perfect during the summer when your kids have evening sports and come home starving at 7:30pm.
Friday: Clean-out the fridge pasta and roasted vegetables! I roasted the last of the veggies in the crisper drawer: 3 potatoes, 4 carrots and a few stalks of broccoli rabe. For the pasta, I dumped a can of drained chickpeas in a skillet with olive oil, garlic and red onion and sliced up leftover salami from lunchtime sandwiches. When the chickpeas and salami were a little bit crispy, I added 8 ounces of cooked linguine and lots of grated parmesan.
I made up the pasta recipe on the fly to use leftovers and avoid the grocery store, but it was so delicious that I’ll probably turn it into a “real” recipe that I hope to share with you soon!
Cookbooks
At the library this week I grabbed Big Dip Energy by Alyse Whitney off the new release shelf and took it home. I don’t know about you, but I could happily eat dip as my main course all summer long.
I honestly had no idea there was so much that could be said about dip! This cookbook is full of recipes, tips, FAQ pages and a Dipper Matrix that helps you decide what kind of crispy thing to dip into your, uh, dip. There are classic dips, veggie-based dips, fruit dips, cheese dips, seafood dips, dips that are dinner, dessert dips…the recipes options are endless.
That’s it for this week! Hope your Friday is an easy one and you slide right into the weekend with an icy cold beverage in your hand.
xo
Jenny
I have cod and I am going to try this! Amazing. Also the bougainvillea bush is my dream!