Seeking to satisfy a craving for “crispy-crunchy-golden-munchie”, and loathing clean-up, I chose to embrace a compromise, a sort of new-age shake and bake.  Choose a protein, and go to town.

For all the details, check out the complete blog posting here.

Crispy Shrimp (or Chicken, or Fish)
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The following recipe is dead simple, really fast, and foolproof. You can make just enough for yourself, or some to share if you like.
Crispy Shrimp (or Chicken, or Fish)
BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list
Print Recipe
The following recipe is dead simple, really fast, and foolproof. You can make just enough for yourself, or some to share if you like.
Ingredients
  • Large Shrimp ( peeled and deveined)
  • or Chicken (bonless thighs or breasts, cut in bite-sized cubes or strips)
  • or Firm White Fish (cut into fingers or cubes)
  • Mayonnaise (seasoned to taste)
  • Panko Crumbs (seasoned to taste)
Instructions
  1. Preheat (toaster)oven to 400°F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with non-stick foil, parchment paper, or regular foil sprayed with non-stick spray (or lightly oiled).
  2. Make sure your meat/fish pieces are very dry; blot the surfaces with paper towels. Place the pieces in a bowl.
  3. Add mayonnaise and your seasonings of choice to the bowl with the protein pieces. Generally speaking, use 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp mayonnaise per serving (4 - 6 ounces of chicken, fish or shrimp). Add flavorings of choice, such as hot sauce, lemon zest, seasoning blend, herbs or spices. DO NOT MIX YET.
  4. In a second bowl, combine 1/2 scant cup Panko crumbs per serving with herbs, pepper, and/or finely grated hard flavorful cheese (Parmesan, romano, asiago), even sesame seeds or finely chopped almonds. Be creative with your choices, but hold back on the salt: you will be salting after baking.
  5. Back to Bowl 1: Massage the protein pieces with the flavored mayonnaise until all are well covered.
  6. Move the coated pieces into the Panko bowl, turning and pressing lightly to coat well with crumbs.
  7. Transfer the crumbed pieces to a non-stick foil or parchment lined baking sheet, making sure the pieces do not touch.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Turn the pieces over to promote even browning. The crumbs will not brown dramatically. Check for doneness at 15 - 20 minutes, depending on how big your pieces are, by cutting one in half. Fish and shrimp should be opaque; chicken should not be pink. Chicken thigh pieces will take longer to cook than breast pieces.
  9. Sprinkle lightly with salt while still hot. Serve immediately.