Crunchy Panko Salmon

Name: Crunchy Panko Salmon
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 3.5 cups panko; 6 tablespoons vegetable oil; Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper; 4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest; 3 to 4 large eggs; 0.5 cup unbleached all-purpose flour; 8 (1-inch thick) skinless salmon fillets (about 3 pounds), preferably wild

By

Sarah Carey

Updated on July 31, 2019

Crunchy Lemon Pepper Salmon — Photo: Justin Walker

Prep Time:

20 mins

Total Time:

55 mins

Yield:

8

A make-ahead, freezable entree that's not a casserole. These baked salmon fillets are prepped and ready to go from the freezer to the oven when you need dinner quick. (They can also be cooked the day they are made.) Serve with a green salad for a quick, light meal.

Ingredients

3 ½ cups panko
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
3 to 4 large eggs
½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
8 (1-inch thick) skinless salmon fillets (about 3 pounds), preferably wild

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Toss panko, oil and 1 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring twice, until deep golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let cool completely. (Crush a few handfuls, to help crumbs adhere.) Stir in lemon zest and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Whisk 3 eggs in a pie plate (if you run low on egg at any point, whisk in the fourth egg). Place flour in a second pie plate, and panko in a third. Season all with salt and pepper. Pat fish dry; season. Dredge in flour, tapping off excess. Dip in eggs; coat with panko, patting to adhere.
To Freeze and Bake Later: Lay fish in single layer on parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze 4 hours, then up to 1 month in resealable plastic bags.
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Bake frozen fish on parchment lined sheets until fish is cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes.
To Bake and Serve Immediately: Bake salmon on parchment lined sheets 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees.