Flaky fish fillets are fine, but flaky fish fillets with a crispy crust are even finer. Tha’s what you get when you make the Japanese dish katsu.
Katsu is reference to something being coated with panko, coarse Japanese-style bread crumbs, and then fried. For tonkatsu, pork cutlets are used. For chicken katsu, boneless pieces of chicken get coated and fried.
To make fish katsu you first, of course, need to acquire some fish. I choose B.C. rockfish fillets because they shimmered with freshness at the store.
Rockfish is sometimes sold as Pacific snapper, because their white/pink fillets look somewhat similar. That’s despite the fact that they are not related to “true” snappers caught in warm-water places, such as the Gulf of Mexico.
Rockfish has a mild, slightly sweet taste, and a flaky texture, and that goodness gets locked in when coated with panko.
To achieve that, you use a traditional breading process, where the fish fillets are coated with flour, dipped in a beaten egg mixture, and then coated with the panko. The fish is then shallow-fried in hot oil until cooked through and rich golden and crispy on the outside.
Katsu is often served with a sauce; and for my rockfish katsu, I choose ponzu. Ponzu is a soy/citrus flavoured sauce that works well with seafood. You can buy it in bottles in the Asian foods aisle of grocery stores, or do what I did and make you own.
To make it a meal, I also served my rockfish katsu with steamed rice and Asian-style Brussels sprout slaw. You’ll find a recipe for the latter below. It’s made by tossing thinly sliced Brussels sprouts with other vegetables and a zesty dressing flavoured with such things as ginger, chili sauce and rice vinegar.
Rockfish Katsu with Ponzu
Golden, crisply coated pieces of rockfish, plated and drizzled with a citrus/soy flavoured ponzu sauce.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: six minutes
Makes: two servings
1/4 cup soy sauce (I used Kikkoman brand)
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp water (divided)
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp honey
2 (5- to 6-oz/140- to 170-gram) fillets, each cut widthwise, into 2 roughly equal pieces (see Note 1)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 large egg
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup panko
• vegetable oil, for frying
• lemon slices, for garnish
• cilantro sprigs, for garnish (optional)
To make ponzu sauce, combine soy sauce, orange juice, lemon juice, 1 1/2 tsp of the water, vinegar and honey in a small bowl. Cover and set aside until needed (see Note 2 and Eric’s options).
Place egg and 1 Tbsp water in a pieplate or shallow bowl and beat to combine. Place flour and panko on separate wide plates. Set out a baking sheet to set the fish on once coated.
Season the fish with salt and pepper. Coat one piece of the fish in flour. Dip it in the egg mixture, ensuring it’s evenly coated. Now coat the fish in panko, pressing it on. Set coated fish on the baking sheet. Coat the other pieces of fish in this fashion.
Pour 1/4 inch or so of oil into a large, 12-inch or so wide skillet set over medium, medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add the coated fish to the skillet and cook about three minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. (Keep a close eye on the fish and lower the heat if the panko overly darkens as it cooks.) Drain fish on paper towel, and then set two pieces of it on each of two dinner plates.
Drizzle the fish on each plate with some of the ponzu sauce, garnish with lemon slices and cilantro sprigs, if using, and serve.
Note 1: If your fish seller has not already done so, cut out and remove any bones you find in the thicker parts of the rockfish fillets.
Note 2: You’ll likely have some ponzu sauce leftover after using some for the rockfish katsu. Store it in a small, sealed jar in the refrigerator until you need some again for a Japanese or other Asian-style dish.
Eric options: If you don’t want to make your own ponzu sauce, you can buy a bottle of it, ready to use, in the Asian foods aisle of grocery stores. Instead of ponzu sauce, try serving the fish with very savoury tonkatsu sauce. To make it, combine 3 Tbsp ketchup, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce and 1/2 tsp honey in a small bowl. Drizzle about 1 Tbsp of this tonkatsu sauce on each piece panko-crusted rockfish.
Asian-style Brussels Sprout Slaw
This tasty slaw, made with thinly sliced Brussels sprouts, is flavoured Asian-style, with such things as soy sauce, chili sauce, ginger and sesame seeds. The recipe yields two, about half cup each, servings. If you would like more than that, simply double the recipe.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: none
Makes: two servings
2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger, or pinch or two dried, ground ginger
1/4 to 1/2 tsp Sriracha or other smooth hot chili sauce, or to taste
1/2 tsp honey
1 cup thinly sliced Brussels sprouts (see Note 1)
1/4 cup grated carrot
1 small green onion, very thinly sliced
2 tsp roasted sesame seeds (see Note 2)
Combine the mayonnaise, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, Sriracha and honey in a small salad bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate slaw until needed. The slaw can be made two or three hours in advance of serving.
Note 1: Six to eight medium Brussels sprouts, when trimmed, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced, should yield the sliced amount needed here.
Note 2: Rich golden-coloured roasted sesame seeds are sold in jars in the Asian foods aisle of most grocery stores. If you wanted to toast your own sesame seeds, place raw sesame seeds in a non-stick skillet set over medium heat. Cook the seeds, swirl the pan from time to time, until lightly toasted and golden, about three to four minutes.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
