A Lighter New England Dinner

Spring has finally blown into Middle Tennessee. The grass is finally green with the little, golden dandelions blooms in droves mimicking the warm, round sun above. The sunshine is toasty but the constant breeze is still brisk which has a way of reminding me of all the late summers I spent on the coast of New England as a child. It's bare feet and fleece weather. Dinner on the deck weather. Reminiscing weather.

Nantucket Harbor as seen from Henry Street Beach

If I lean back in my adirondack chair and close my eyes, listening to the tolling of our buoy bell, I can almost imagine myself back on the patio in Kennebunkport, Maine or sunbathing in the dingy on Nantucket Harbor. I hope our family will get to visit again this year. I would love hear the pitter-patter of my own children's  feet on Henry Street Beach where I learned to walk; or listen to the kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk of their little beach treasures being tossed into the tide pools on Timber Island. Perhaps we can visit this year. Perhaps not. A twenty-two hour drive with three small children is daunting.

Cape Porpoise, Main

But all this weather and remembering makes me impatient for one one of the best parts of New England - the food! Whether it's a clambake when winds off the sea call for sweaters zipped all the way up, fried haddock and chips on the unassuming Cape Porpoise pier, or Steamboat Clam Chowder during a blustery crossing of the Nantucket Sound - nothing says "New England Dinner" to me like seafood and potatoes! Full disclosure, I could inhale an embarrassing number of fried fish and potato baskets right now. It's my dream to move back to the coast, where I would single-handedly keep a local clam shack in business. But... healthy choices. Fried fish. Healthy choices. Fried fish... Okay. Let's just settle for better choices on a day like today.

The breaded and baked fish below is every ounce as good as the fried fillets I've had on vacation! I chose cod because it's a classic New England staple. But also because it is extremely mild in flavor (appealing to the twin toddlers) and it's one of the few things I can find fresh this far inland. If you wanted to go paleo or even lighter, you could just bake with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Or you could experiment with breading the cod in almond flour. (I've coated baked chicken successfully this way, but never tried fish). But as I said, today is a day for just making healthier choices! I'm on imaginary vacation :)

1/2 cup (or more as needed) whole wheat flour

1 egg (or just egg white) beaten

1 cup (or more as needed) seasoned panko*

1 lbs fresh cod fillets**
olive oil

Preheat over to 450 degrees. Bread whole fillets of cod by dipping first in the flour, then the egg wash, and lastly in the panko. Set on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 25 minutes.

NOTES:

*I use an Italian panko mix because the seasonings agree with my little guys. If you aren't adverse to a little heat, though, try a lemon pepper seasoned panko. It's delicious! Or bread with almond flour. Or omit breading entirely and squeeze a little lemon juice over fish before serving.

**You can also cut cod fillets into 1x2 inch strips (use kitchen shears) and bread to make fish sticks. It's more work, but I do it on occasion for the twins.

Stuck on my "fish and chips" craving, I served the baked cod with a vegan potato and asparagus salad from The Oh She Glows Cookbook minus the green onions. It's an amazing version of the original comfort food that replaces mayo with avocado. I highly recommend you purchase her cookbook. There are, however, similar versions available from other food bloggers online. They just don't beat the authentic simplicity of Angela's.

Overall, dinner was a huge success! Adults and toddler alike cleaned their plates in record time. It did not, though, cure my hankering for some sand between my toes. Looks like I need to start researching some toddler-approved healthy snacks for our next road trip!