Tortilla Crusted Fish Fillets

One thing I can’t stand is “waste”! Just with Canada 🍁 alone, the percentage of wasted food is over 46%, which is about 21.2 million metric tons of food! The average Canadian household wastes around $1,300 annually… IT’S SO WRONG!
 
I cook 👩‍🍳 almost every day. If there are leftovers in the fridge, I reuse them by either making a recipe I’ve already created or coming up with a new one. The same applies to what’s in our pantry. The solution is not to throw them away but to salvage them… be frugal!
 
How many times is there barely anything left in a cereal box or a bag of chips? No one eats it, and it ends up in the garbage. WHY? There’s nothing wrong with the crumbs! Repurposing them is being smart, and let’s face it… don’t you think food manufacturers make enough money 💰 already?
 
With cereal crumbs, they can be used as breading, like when I make my Cornflakes Crusted Fish, mix them into yogurt, incorporate the crumbs into a pie crust 🥧, add them to cookie dough, make chocolate clusters, or if there are enough, make no-bake cereal bars…
 
The same applies to chips, like BBQ, regular, or even tortilla chips. They can be a delicious topper for salads 🥗 or soups, mixed with melted butter and sprinkled over a tuna casserole, or mac and cheese. Take the tortilla crumbs and use them when making chilaquiles, and so on.
 
In this episode, I’m making my Tortilla Crusted Fish Fillets! Instead of using Panko®, I use what’s left from a tortilla chip bag! I crush them into a finer texture, and use it to coat the fish, although chicken cutlets 🐓, or pork chops can be other options.
 
When placing the crumbs in the bag, make sure there’s no air in it or very little, otherwise, when crushing them with a rolling pin, the compressed air 🌀 might cause the seal to break and the crumbs to scatter, making a big mess. Additionally, trapped air might prevent crushing the crumbs adequately.
 
These Tortilla Crusted Fish Fillets are very tasty! After being patted dry, I cover the tops of the fillets 🐟 with a spice mixture, spreading it out while pressing down to adhere it. I find one side gives enough flavor, but if you want to season the other side as well, simply double the seasonings.
 
For the breading step, it’s the typical ingredients: flour, beaten egg(s), and breadcrumbs, which today are replaced with crushed tortilla chips. When filming, I completely forgot to add some melted butter 🧈 to the chips, so don’t make the same mistake. Add it and stir until it resembles slightly damp sand.
 
The fillets are placed on a baking sheet lined with foil that has been greased with cooking spray. Before they go in the oven, I also spray the tops of the fillets with cooking spray. It helps to achieve a golden-brown, crispy texture, plus it enhances crispiness and prevents them from drying out or even burning 🔥.
 
This Tortilla Crusted Fish Fillets recipe is an elevated way to enjoy your favorite fish! By making this tasty recipe, not only are you salvaging the leftovers from the bag, but you are also reducing food waste while saving money 🏧 in the process… what’s not to like!
Bon Appétit! 🍽
 
Check out these other incredibly fish recipes… 😀
– Curry Fish Stew
– Sole Meunière
– Tarragon Limoncello Halibut
– Cod au Gratin
– Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise
– Ahi Tuna Poke Bowl
– Salmon Pie
– Creamy Creole Red Snapper
– Salade Niçoise
and for even more fish and seafood recipes 🐟🦞, click on this link… Recipe Category • Fish & Seafood
 

 
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Tortilla Crusted Fish Fillets

This tasty Tortilla Crusted Fish Fillets recipe is a great way to enjoy your favorite fish fillets by salvaging the leftovers from the bag…

5 from 6 votes

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Servings 4

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 18 minutes mins

Passive Time 0 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups tortilla chip crumbs, or as needed and finely crushed
• 1/2 tsp. ancho chili powder, or as needed
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin, or as needed
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, or as needed
• 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt, or as needed
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground mixed peppercorns, or as needed
• 2 to 3 large fish fillets (such as cod, halibut, red snapper, tilapia), patted dry
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp. butter, melted
• cooking spray, for baking sheet and fillets as needed

Directions

 

• Preheat oven to 400ºF and lined a baking sheet with foil that has been greased with cooking spray; set aside.
• In a large resealable plastic bag, add tortilla chip crumbs and take air out of the bag before sealing it. Using a rolling pin, crush them finely and set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine ancho chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, ground sea salt, and freshly ground mixed peppercorns. Stir until nicely blended, and set aside.
• Spoon spice mixture on top of patted dry fillets, spreading it out and pressing down to adhere.
• For the breading station, add flour to the first shallow dish. In the second shallow dish, add beaten eggs. In the third shallow dish, add crushed tortilla chips and melted butter; stir well.
• Working with one fillet at a time, dredge it in flour and shake off any excess. Dip into eggs, letting the excess drip off, and then transfer to the tortilla chip mixture, entirely coating the fish, pressing down to adhere.
• Transfer the coated fillets to the prepared baking dish, and spray the top of the fillets with cooking spray.
• Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for 17 to 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145ºF. Serve immediately.

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