Foodie Goodie | Fish Katsu.

What's the first thing you think of when you hear the word "katsu"? I bet the image of a breaded and fried pork cutlet will usually come to mind. You might not know it, but there are actually a variety of ways to cook and enjoy this popular Japanese dish.

For starters, there's tonkatsu - breaded pork cutlets with the fat intact. Then there's hirekatsu, which is also pork, but with the fat trimmed before breading and frying. And then we have katsudon, one of my favorite Japanese dish. It's katsu served over rice, topped with egg, onions, and sweet sauce. (You can view the recipe for katsudon here.)

Also in the list are gyukatsu - which uses beef, and chicken katsu - which, as the name suggests, uses chicken. There's also fish katsu - and yes you guessed it right - this one uses fish. This dish is quite popular in South Korea, and has been adapted into Korean cuisine. They call this 'saengsun katsu', and if you're following me on Instagram, you might have seen my bento from last week which features this dish.

I'm sharing the recipe for my fish katsu, as requested by my mommy friends. This dish is very easy to prepare, and even easier to cook, and is a big hit with kids. I know, because my son and his friends are crazy about this dish! :)

Fish Katsu

Ingredients:
500 grams cream dory (or other white fish), cut into pieces
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp sesame oil
4 Tbsp calamansi or lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking oil for frying

Procedure:
1. Marinate fish in calamansi juice, salt, and pepper for 10 minutes.
2. In a bowl, add the eggs and sesame oil. Whisk well, then set aside.
3. Dredge the fish in flour.
4. Dip the fish in the egg mixture.
5. Coat the fish with Panko bread crumbs.
6. In a frying pan, heat the oil over low heat.
7. Place the fish in the pan, and cook until the panko bread crumbs turn light golden brown.
8. Turn the fish over, and cook until the underside turns light golden brown as well.
9. Remove from the pan, and drain the fish on paper towels.
10. Serve with fry sauce* and shredded cabbage on the side.

*Fry sauce is a simple combination of ketchup and mayonnaise, a condiment for dipping french fries.