Toaster oven catfish for the lazy and ill equipped bachelor.

[Fumesucker]

So I found some cheap frozen Swai (mild catfish) fillets at the store a couple of weeks ago and have been experimenting with different ways to cook it in my extremely minimalist kitchen. I have a small and weak microwave, a toaster oven and a single induction hot plate for cooking so getting fancy isn't really on the menu so to speak.

I've found three ways to cook this stuff in my toaster oven so far and all of them came out at least reasonably tasty.

My first recipe was a desperation move with what I had in the pantry, crumbled some saltine crackers in a bowl, added salt, pepper and some grated five Italian cheese mix I had in the fridge, brushed the thawed fillet with butter and spread the cracker crumb mix on the fish and pressed it on with the back side of a tablespoon, flipped it over onto the pre-greased toaster oven grill I had pulled out and then did the other side the same way. Fifteen minutes in the pre-heated toaster oven at 375 degrees or so and I had a pretty decent main course to go with my salad.

The next time I was at the store I bought Italian bread crumbs and basically did the same thing with that, a little salt, Italian cheeses and a generous helping of pepper, same technique for applying and pressing the crumbs, same heat and cooking time, same pre-greased grill. This fish was bit more tasty than the first.

Then the other day I bought a canister of Tony Chachere's extra spicy Cajun seasoning. All I did this time is brush the fillet down with butter, a generous sprinkle of the Cajun seasoning on both sides, onto the pre-greased grill and into the toaster oven for fifteen minutes.. The fish came out quite hot but not mouth searingly so and was the best of the three ways I've tried.

I lived and worked in southern Louisiana for about five years in the 80's and learned to like the Cajun style of cooking, that's where I came across the Chachere's spice mix and I've been using it on and off ever since.

http://www.tonychachere.com/

[snappyturtle]

1. I, too, have a minimalist kitchen....thanks for your yummy sounding methods! nt

[pinto]

2. Sounds good. Swai and Tilapia are both available at fairly reasonable prices.

I like the toaster oven idea. I usually avoid cooking fish inside (especially any kind of fried recipe, I have a tiny house). But I've done a lot of fish outside on the weber. Toaster oven is a good idea, especially for white fish fillets -I'd set mine out on the back door cement stoop...

fwiw, both Swai and Tilapia are rated as "good alternatives" for farm raised fish on Monterey Bay Aquarium's "Seafood Watch" -

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org//cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=67

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org//cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=69

[Warpy]

3. I "discovered" stir frying in an old round bottomed popcorn maker

in a dorm room, so I well know how well the minimalist kitchen can work.

Toaster ovens are great for all sorts of proteins. I use mine exclusively in the hot desert summers. Adding a one unit hot plate to it for pasta and rice would be perfect. Since most of them have 2 settings, "hell" and "off," the idea is to boil rice for 10 minutes and take it off heat to steam while you put on the water for tea or coffee.

I've lived with minimal kitchens so much in my life, I have no idea how I'd cope with a yuppie masterpiece with acres of gleaming granite and stainless steel and every appliance known to gadget makers.

[grasswire]

4. a friend of mine used to do salmon in toaster oven

He would season the fish with lemon pepper and crumbs and put it in a pan on the middle rack, and then put a pan of hot water on the lower rack. So there was a lot of moisture in the oven to keep the fish moist.