Minnesota is known for three things: its cold snowy winters, its 10,000 lakes and its walleye. I’m sure it’s known for a lot of other things, but those are the first three things that came to mind :)

Let’s talk about that walleye – if you’ve never had a beer battered walleye sandwich before, I highly suggest you to come visit someday and try it out. If a restaurant has it on the menu, it’s very difficult for me to order something else. The batter is usually hot, crispy, and fresh from the fryer while the flaky fish just melts in your mouth…

Just thinking about it is making my mouth water….

Anyway, back to why my blurb about walleye had anything to do with this post – as much as how amazing walleye sandwiches are, I know they’re not all that great for you. So today instead of going out for a walleye sandwich, I decided to make my own healthier version of a fish sandwich, and topped with some spicy mayo to give it a kick of flavor.

I didn’t have any freshly caught walleye, so I compromised with some cod instead (which was still very tasty!). If you don’t have any fresh fish available, you can also use some of those wild-caught frozen fish filets that they sell at your local grocery store.

Ingredients:

• 2 cod filets (or walleye, or any other kind of white flaky fish)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• for the panko bread crumb seasoning:
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley leaves
• for the spicy mayo:
  • 1/3 cup mayo
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, depending on taste
• 2 club rolls (or hoagie buns, or any kind of your favorite bread)
• any other kind of toppings – lettuce, tomatoes…

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
• Place cod filets on a plate and pat dry with paper towels. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg – this will function as your egg wash.
• Combine all the ingredients for the panko bread crumbs (and its seasonings) in a large plate.

• Dip a filet into the egg wash. Toss and swish it around a couple times – you want to make sure it’s thoroughly coated with it before moving on!

• Transfer the filet to the plate containing the bread crumbs. Flip it around a couple times, making sure that every inch of it is covered with the bread crumbs (this is what will make the filet nice and crispy later).

• Transfer the panko-coated filet onto a baking sheet.
• Repeat with other filet and bake for about 20 minutes, or until fish comes apart easy.

• While the fish is cooking, combine all the ingredients for the spicy mayo in a medium-sized bowl. This would also be a good time to prepare any toppings that you would like on top of your sandwich.

• Assemble your sandwich and enjoy!

Note: I usually like to line my baking sheet with some aluminum foil with the edges folded up (kind of like a fence). That way not only will I catch any liquid that may be created during the cooking process, it also saves me from washing the baking sheet when I’m done – all I have to do it crumble the foil up and toss it in the trash!

This is a perfect quick meal that can be healthy and tasty at the same time – instead of the greasiness of the fried fish, the panko bread crumbs gave it a lighter texture and also made me feel better about eating something I enjoy. Plus, not a whole lot of dishes that needs to be cleaned in the end!

Sharing is caring!