Italian Breaded Fried Salmon Fillets
This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Big Oven contributors, Sgrishkas Chicken Milanese. Fish fillets can be boring sometimes and I wanted to add a little flavor and variety to a typical fish dinner.
This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite Big Oven contributors, Sgrishkas Chicken Milanese. Fish fillets can be boring sometimes and I wanted to add a little flavor and variety to a typical fish dinner.
- Carbohydrate 87.0500413287352 g
- Cholesterol 450.5 mg
- Fat 23.3458667888165 g
- Fiber 4.10749015746756 g
- Protein 36.4169529688305 g
- Saturated Fat 5.81522835962216 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (269g)
- Sodium 602.927372070845 mg
- Sugar 82.9425511712677 g
- Trans Fat 3.8608131081966 g
- Calories 715 calories
Step-by-step
- Spread flour on paper towel or plate.
- Beat eggs with 1 tablespoon oil in second shallow dish to form a layer for dredging.
- Spread Italian bread crumbs on paper towel or shallow dish for the last dredging.
- Prepare salmon fillets by patting dry any moisture that may be present.
- Season each fillet on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Bread fillets one a time.
- Dredge in flour, coating both sides and shaking off the excess.
- If fillets are firm enough use tongs to dip both sides in egg mixture, letting excess drip back into baking dish to ensure very thin coating.
- If fillets are not firm enough you may need to hand dip each dredge.
- Dip both sides of fillets in bread crumbs to form the final coating.
- Place on wire rack set over baking sheet, allow coating to dry for about 5 minutes.
- If preparing ahead, then refrigerate until ready to cook; around 1 hour max.
- Preheat large nonstick saute pans over high heat, add 2-3 tablespoons olive oil to form an even layer of oil on bottom of pan.
- Heat until a sprinkle of water sizzles in pan.
- Place fillets in pan allowing enough room to form only one layer.
- Cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
- Flip over and reduce heat to medium.
- Cook an additional 2-3 minutes until golden brown and fish appears slightly flaky.
- Drain on rack set over a baking sheet.
- Warm plats in microwave for 3-4 minutes and then plate fish on warm plates.
- Serve with lemon and tarter if desired.
When working with delicate proteins like salmon, maintaining high heat during the initial pan contact is the only way to instantly set the crumb coating and prevent excess oil absorption. Patting the raw fillets completely dry removes surface moisture that would otherwise convert to steam, loosening the adhesive bond between the flour, egg, and Italian-spiced bread crumbs. Because the fish cooks rapidly over high heat, letting the breaded fillets rest on a wire rack for five minutes allows the starch matrix to firm up before hitting the hot oil. If you need to swap the standard wheat flour for a gluten-free alternative like rice flour, expect a slightly lighter crust that browns a bit faster due to higher starch content.
Managing the Pan Temperature
Preheating a large nonstick skillet over high heat until a drop of water aggressively sizzles ensures proper frying kinetics. Introduce the fillets carefully, making sure not to crowd the pan, and fry for two to three minutes until the underside turns a deep golden brown. Flipping the fish requires reducing the heat to medium so the interior protein fibers finish denaturing gently without burning the exterior crumbs. Draining the finished pieces on a wire rack rather than paper towels keeps the bottom crust from trapping steam and turning soggy.
