Crispy Triscuit Fish Tacos

 

This past week, David and I were having a mid-afternoon snack of a few Triscuit crackers, plus a Laughing Cow cheese wedge. In my efforts to eat slower (an ongoing goal I have), I was taking very teeny tiny bites and making each cracker last as long as possible.

As I was doing this, I started thinking about how very crisp Triscuit crackers are. They are super crunchy! It was in that moment that I thought how they would make a good “breading” for oven baked chicken.

That brings us to tonight. I was getting ready to make my usual Fish Tacos for dinner, which consists of very simple tilapia that is seasoned and baked. As I started to prepare everything, I realized that a crispy-coated fish sounded much better. I wasn’t sure what I would coat my fish in, but then I suddenly remembered my thoughts on the crispy Triscuit.

Would it work?

 

Well, that’s what I did and I think it turned out wonderful! The only thing I think I would change is that the ground Triscuit could have used a bit more seasoning – I’m thinking something spicy, like some crushed red pepper? But even still, I think what I did work out really well and I am happy to share it with all of you.

Triscuit Fish Tacos

Tilapia (I used about 2 pounds – you could easily use less or more)
1 box Nabisco Triscuit (or similar type cracker – one box was enough to coat 2 lbs of fish with some leftover)
Egg Beaters (or whole eggs or egg whites, if you prefer)
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
Corn Tortillas
Cabbage, shredded
Toppings, such as: shredded cabbage, shredded cheese, salsa (fruity salsas are particularly good), sour cream, avocado, etc. (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a baking pan by spraying with cooking spray or greasing it in your preferred manner.
2. In a food processor, pulse crackers until somewhat fine. Add cumin and pulse just a few seconds to combine into crackers. Place 1/2 of cracker crumbs in a shallow dish or bowl. You can add more later if you need it. I found that one box of Triscuit crackers was more than enough for 2 pounds of tilapia – I actually had some leftover cracker crumbs.
3. Note: I only add a small part of the cracker mix at time because I am never sure how much I am going to use. I would rather dip in a smaller amount of it and have some leftover for another time, then dip in all of it and have to toss out the leftover cracker mix because it’s got fishy juices in it (ewww).
4. Add egg to another shallow dish or bowl. I don’t know how much I used, but I poured in a smallish amount knowing that I could add more later if necessary.
5. Dip both sides of the Tilapia into the egg. Allow excess to drip off and then coat both side with cracker crumbs. Be sure that fish is thoroughly coated with the crackers.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until fish is firm and coating it slightly browned. Be sure to watch – how long it takes to cook depends on how thick your fish is. You could also check the temp in the thickest part of the fish with a meat thermometer. It should have an internal temp of 145 degrees F.

Each piece of fish can make about two tacos. I like to cut each piece, lengthwise, into four pieces and place two of the cut pieces into a warm corn tortilla. Each person topped their taco how they wanted – I drizzled my fish with some lime juice and then topped it with some red cabbage and salsa.

There you have it – Baked Fish Tacos – Triscuit Style! And for a girl who once thought fish tacos sounded crazy, I have to be honest and tell you the truth – I ate FOUR of these! Yup!