Honey & Cracker Crumb Breaded Blue Gill with Oil Tomato Relish

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ounce flat bread crackers, crushed coarsely
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  • 3/4 cup japanese bread crumbs
  • 4 each eggs
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • Flour
  • Oil
  • 6 blue gill filets, skin on and scaled

RELISH

  • 1 cup marinated olives, halved
  • 1 cup chopped garlic
  • 6 shallots, sliced thin
  • 2 quarts cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 5 large tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup roasted red peppers, medium diced

GET COOKIN'

  1. Crush crackers in a zip lock bag.
  2. Add panko and lightly season with salt and pepper.
  3. In a bowl, combine eggs and honey and whisk thoroughly to combine.
  4. Using the standard breading procedure, dip the flesh side only of the blue gill filets in the flour, shaking off the excess, then dip the flesh side only in the egg mixture, draining off the excess. Lastly, dip the flesh side of the filet in the cracker crumb mix. Repeat this process with all the filets.
  5. In a medium sized ovenproof pan, heat the oil of your choice on medium heat.
  6. Sauté the blue gill flesh side down and pop in an oven and cook until golden brown and done. It is very important that you do not flip the blue gill on its skin as this will cause the filets to curl.

FOR THE RELISH

  • Roast tomatoes
  • Caramelize shallot lightly then add rest of ingredients
  • Cool then mix rest of ingredients.