Make your own fish nuggets

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The same recipe, and tricks, for making fish nuggets can be used to make chicken nuggets. Just substitute chicken fillets for fish fillets and everything else is the same. To make sure that the breading stays on during frying, pat the fish (or chicken) dry in kitchen towels before rolling them in bread crumbs. It’s that simple. You don’t need to dip them in batter before rolling them in crumbs. Using batter will only make the nuggets more oily because the batter, in addition to the crumbs, will absorb oil.

After cutting the fillets, lay them on a kitchen towel. Cover with another kitchen towel and pat the towel on top so that both towels absorb the water from the fillets. Transfer the fish (or chicken) to a bowl and season with salt and pepper (and herbs, if you like). Add bread crumbs to the fish and mix well. Put them in the hot oil one by one, shaking off excess bread crumbs. Fry them over medium-high heat so that the crumbs brown and turn crisp, flipping them as needed, without overcooking the fish and without giving them too much time swimming in oil. Less time in the hot oil equals less time to absorb oil.

Pesto and Cheese Toasties

I make my own pesto. I don’t always add nuts and, sometimes, I even skip the cheese part. And when I need only a small amount of pesto, I don’t bother with the blender. I simply hand-chop the basil and garlic. But you don’t need to make your own pesto to enjoy these toasties for breakfast. You can use pesto in jars that line the supermarket shelves. I can’t help you though with which brands are good and which aren’t.

So, whether you’re using homemade pesto or supermarket-bought, here’s how to prepare these toasties. Cut off the crusts of the bread, then toast lightly. Brush with pesto and sprinkle with your favorite cheese (grated or thinly sliced). If you’re watching your sodium intake, since pesto is already quite salty, you might want to choose a mildly salted cheese. Pop the cheese-topped bread slices in the oven/griller for about 30 seconds or until the cheese melts and the edges of the bread are browned and crisp.