Meatless Friday: Cracker-Crusted Fish Fillets

Barb Szyszkiewicz shares a simple Meatless Friday recipe that kids can help prepare. Download our printable recipe card.

It's almost summer, and when my kids were younger, that's the time of year when I'd dedicate some time to Mom's Cooking Lessons. If I'd had this recipe when my kids were cooks in training, they'd definitely have learned how to make these cracker-crusted fish fillets.

As someone who loves to cook almost as much as I love to read, finding novels with cooking themes is a fun way to combine my interests. Recently, I read Recipe for Joy by Monica Comas, a novel in which two estranged sisters receive identical cookbooks created by their deceased grandmother's estranged sister, with a plea to cook each recipe together. The story didn't turn out quite the way I expected, and I found myself sympathetic to both of the women who received the mysterious cookbooks. Bonus recipes are included, so I decided to try a few.

I reached out to author Monica Comas, who graciously granted permission to share her recipe with a few changes I made, including notes about how kids can get involved in cooking this dish.

Cracker-Crusted Fish Fillets

Makes 1 serving (get the kids to do the math based on your family size)

Ingredients

Olive oil for the baking dish
Fish fillets (any mild white fish such as tilapia, haddock, walleye or sea bass)
1 TBSP butter
5 or 6 Ritz crackers
Lemon pepper seasoning 
Fresh parsley (optional)
Squeeze of lemon (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare the baking dish by brushing a little oil on the surface so fillets don't stick (kids can help!). Place the fish in the pan.

Melt the butter in the microwave or a small pan on the stove.

Crush up the crackers in a small bowl (kids can help!), Make sure there are some larger pieces, not fine crumbs.

Mix the cracker crumbs with the butter (kids can help!).

Season each piece of fish with lemon pepper.

Use a spoon to top the fish with the cracker and butter mixture.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley (optional).

Bake 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

Squeeze a bit of lemon over the fish before serving (optional).