Gingersnap Crusted Salmon

It's been awhile since we've had a fish recipe, and I'm always in the mood for salmon.  This particular recipe seemed intriguing, very different, and a little but Christmasy.  Usually I'm a purist when it comes to fish.  My favorite way to cook salmon is outside, on the grill, with just a little bit of olive oil and dill. Yum!  Cooking salmon that way in December in Ohio is a little bit challenging, so I thought why not give this a try...

Recipe: (from How Sweet It Is)
1 pound salmon fillets, divided into four fillets (I only cooked three and adjusted other ingredients accordingly)

 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 egg whites, lightly beaten
15 gingersnap cookies, crushed
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup regular seasoned bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place a wire tray on top of the foil, and spray rack lightly with olive or other cooking oil.

In a bowl add the egg whites and lightly beat.  Set aside.  In another bowl combine the cookies, flour, and bread crumbs.

Season salmon with salt and pepper.  Dip each piece in the egg whites, coating thoroughly then dredge through the crumb mixture.  (My salmon still had the skin on, so I only coated the non-skinned sides.)

Place each piece on wire rack and lightly mist with cooking spray or olive oil.  Bake for 10 minutes then flip, misting again.  Bake for another 10-12 minutes or until salmon is cooked through and flakes when scraped with a fork.

(Diva Note: See how messy that foil is underneath?  Definitely glad for the suggestion to line tray with foil.  Just toss that mess in the trash!)

Verdict:
Good.  But not great.  The fish definitely had a nice gingery taste (so if you don't like ginger, don't make this recipe) that was slightly sweet but not quite as sweet as eating an actual gingersnap cookie.  Somehow the combination of flavors and / or the cooking cooked some of the sweetness out.  Don't ask me how.

But I haven't changed my perception as a fish purist.  Given a choice between this and grilled salmon, I will always choose the grilled salmon.  And when the weather prohibits grilled salmon, I'll probably revert back to my favorite fish-packet-steaming recipe or even my second favorite fish-packet-steaming recipe or some new yet to be tried fish-packet-steaming recipe.  It seems like a lighter and healthier way to cook fish.  And I like the way it tastes better.  All that coating seemed to get in the way of tasting the fish itself.

I have three pieces of fish left, and I'm really looking forward to having it sometime in the next week cooked in one of my favorite ways!