Baked Fish and Homemade Tartar Sauce

I ran across a recipe for Malt Vinegar Potatoes the other day (recipe to follow) and it reminded me of the early days of the Long John Silver's restaurant.  I remember when the first one opened in my hometown of Midwest City, OK back in the 60's.  It was a real treat for us!  I'd never heard of malt vinegar and it was a new culinary treat.

And while I wanted to make the potatoes, I really didn't want to fry fish.  So I found this Alton Brown recipe on Food Network.  It's so light and delish and uses crisped rice breakfast cereal for the crunch.

The tartar sauce recipe is from "Joy of Cooking" and has been a staple for me for years (Jim's a cocktail sauce fellow, I  like both).

BAKED FISH (4 servings)

Olive oil cooking spray
2 3/4 cups crispy rice cereal
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large egg whites
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless firm white fish (pollack, tilapia, swai) cut into 2"x4" pieces
Tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and/or malt vinegar, for servings (optional)

Set a wire rack on a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Lightly crush the cereal in a bowl with your fingers.  Add 2 tsp salt and black pepper to taste.  In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and a pinch of salt until frothy.

Dip the fish in the egg whites, then roll in the cereal crumbs to coat.  Place the fish pieces on the rack (position them on their sides so that the majority of the crust is exposed) and mist with cooking spray.

Bake the fish on the bottom oven rack until crisp and just cooked through, about 12 minutes.  Season with S&P.  Serve with tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, and/or malt vinegar.

Recipe Source:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/baked-fish-and-chips-recipe.html

TARTAR SAUCE (makes 1 1/3 cups)

1 cup mayo
1 hard-cooked egg, finely chopped
1 Tbsp chopped drained sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp chopped drained capers
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped green olives, optional
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp minced shallot
S&P, to taste
cayenne pepper or hot sauce, to taste

Whisk together.  To thin, you may add a little:

white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice.

Recipe Source:  Joy of Cooking, 2006, p. 581