Skip to main content

Reduced-Fat Oven Fried Fish with Tartar Sauce

Posted on January 30, 2012
Tags
fish
breaded
baked

Serves 4

If using frozen fillets, press them dry with paper towels. The calorie count for the tartar sauce was calculated using Hellmann's low-fat mayonnaise.

INGREDIENTS

TARTAR SAUCE

  • 1cup low-fat mayonnaise (see note)
  • 2tablespoons finely chopped sweet pickles, plus 2 teaspoons juice
  • 1tablespoon drained capers, minced
  • 2teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1teaspoon minced shallot
  • 1/2teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  •  Salt and pepper

OVEN-FRIED FISH

  • 3slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
  • 1/2cup all-purpose flour
  • 2large egg whites
  • 1tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/8teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4teaspoon salt
  • 1/8teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2pounds halibut fillet (see note), skin removed, cut into 8 (3-ounce) portions

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. MAKE TARTAR SAUCE Whisk mayonnaise, pickles, pickle juice, capers, lemon juice, shallot, and Worcestershire in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

  2. MAKE COATING Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground. Bake bread crumbs on rimmed baking sheet, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Transfer toasted bread crumbs to shallow dish. Combine ¼ cup tartar sauce, ¼ cup flour, egg whites, mustard, parsley, and cayenne in second shallow dish. Place remaining flour, salt, and pepper in third shallow dish.

  3. COAT AND BAKE Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees. Set wire rack inside rimmed baking sheet and lightly grease with cooking spray. Pat fish dry with paper towels. One at a time, dredge fillets lightly in seasoned flour. Dip top and sides of fillets in tartar sauce-egg white mixture and cover top and sides with bread crumbs, pressing to adhere. Transfer breaded fish to prepared rack, spray each fillet lightly with cooking spray, and bake until crumbs are golden brown and fish is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with remaining tartar sauce.

CRISPING OVEN-FRIED FISH

The toasted crumb coating on oven-fried fish may start out crispy, but the moisture released by the fish as it cooks can turn it soggy. Here's how we fixed that.

  1. STRONG BARRIER A mixture of tartar sauce, spices, egg whites, and flour helps seal in liquid as the halibut cooks, keeping the crumb coating crisp.

  2. BARE BOTTOM Any crumbs underneath the fish become soggy. By leaving the bottoms bare, we remove the problem (and the calories).

  3. ON THE RACK Elevating the fish on a wire rack lets escaping moisture drip away so the fish doesn't steam in its own juices.