The first Friday of the month is reserved for recipes. You can see additional First Friday Food posts here.

The Reason:

Apropos of our Maine vacation, how about a seafood recipe?

Sara is not a fan of seafood. I don’t remember how I convinced her to try this one, but she actually doesn’t mind it. So if an avid seafood avoider like Sara likes it, then you know it’s good.

The Journey:

You start out by soaking the salmon in milk. This seemed weird at first, but I think it really takes a lot of the “fishy” taste out of it, which is what makes it appealing to non-fish lovers.

You know, I think I’d basically eat anything, as long as it is crusted. You put some parmesan and bread crumbs on there, and everything is instantly better.

The honey mustard is very buttery, but actually I think that’s what makes it work. I don’t know if I would eat this honey mustard on a salad, but as someone who just got back from Maine (where you practically drink a cup of butter with your lobster), I think I can safely say that butter is always good with seafood.

The Verdict:

Not just tasty, but very, very easy to make. Very little prep time, and wonderful. Don’t skip on the honey mustard though; that’s what totally makes it.

The Recipe:

Recipes from allrecipes.com:

• 1 (1.5 pound) skinless center-cut salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon honey

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place the salmon fillets in a baking dish; pour the milk over the fillets. Allow the salmon to soak in the milk 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Stir the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese together in a wide, deep bowl. Beat the egg in a separate bowl until frothy. Remove the salmon fillets from the milk; shake the excess milk off the fish. Dip each fillet into the beaten egg and then gently press into the bread crumb mixture to coat; gently shake to remove the excess.
4. Bake in the preheated oven, turning once, until the salmon flakes easily with a fork, about 15 minutes.
5. While the salmon bakes, stir the butter, mustard, and honey together in a bowl; drizzle over the baked salmon to serve.