I’m a little bit embarrassed.
Okay, make that more than a little, as this is another tale of how I’m a bad Southerner.
Now, I do have a few redeeming qualities when it comes to my Southern roots. I subscribe to Southern Living. I say “y’all”. I believe in hot barbecue, cold cocktails, loud parties and good manners. And, much to my husband’s detriment, I believe a woman can never own too many sundresses (or matching shoes).
However, in addition to my sweet tea aversion and my ineptitude with pimento cheese (chronicled for you here), up until about 3 weeks ago, I had never owned a cast iron skillet.
There, I said it. Hi, my name is Mary and I’m a bad Southerner…but now I can start redeeming myself! I will say, it was entertaining as my husband I read up on how to “season” a skillet. I suppose another item to add to the list is my lard-less kitchen. Had to settle for vegetable oil.
The silver lining is that you now get to benefit from my new toy! I saw this recipe in the February issue of Cooking Light and ended up modifying it slightly and it was incredibly delicious and pretty easy to throw together!
Panko Crusted Cod with Tomato Basil Relish (Serves 2 / 7 WW points per filet)
Slightly modified from original recipe, found here.
2 (4-5oz.) cod fillets
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 egg white, beaten
1/2 Tbsp. lemon pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp. smoked Paprika
1/2 tsp. kosher salt (divided)
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/2 Tbsp. basil (I used dried – I’m sure fresh would be even better!)
2 Tbsp. chopped Vidalia onion
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
About 1/4 tsp. cracked black pepper
Heat oven to 450.
Begin by making your relish. Mix together chopped tomatoes, basil, onion, lemon juice, black pepper and 1/4 tsp. kosher salt together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Heat oil in skillet on stove top over medium-high heat.
Add egg white to a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, add mixture of panko, lemon pepper and paprika. Dip fillets in egg white and sprinkle with remaining salt. Press into crumb mixture. When oil has heated, add fillets to the skillet and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Flip the fish and place the skillet in the oven for 7-8 minutes, until fish is cooked through.
Add fillets to your plate, top with the tomato mixture and voila…
You’re ready to eat!
Hope y’all have a great weekend!
cookingonthebrightside 
First, I miss you! Second, I don’t have a cast iron skillet either and I seriously just asked Mr. for one for Christmas (I know it’s April, I’m thinking ahead…?) So in the meantime, do you have to have a cast iron for this recipe or do you think a nonstick will work because this sounds like a must-try!
How about a Mother’s Day gift? 😉 Cast iron just makes it easy because it goes from stove top to oven and doesn’t lose heat. If you have an oven-safe pan, that is fine. If not, just transfer the fish to a baking dish and add a few minutes to the baking time to allow the dish to heat up!
Love your Southerness! You made me laugh. Your photos make it like a great decision to have it for dinner tomorrow. Glad you liked it.