Slim Man Cooks Halibut with Peppadew, Olives, and Garlic

My Dad—I called him Paps—used to say my music was like ginger ale.“It’s not for everybody.”I get it, I understood what he was saying. You’ve got Coke. You’ve got Pepsi. They’re the Big Two, people drink billions of bottles a day. Both are extremely popular.And then you have ginger ale. That’s me.This recipe is like ginger ale, it’s really good and a nice change of pace, but it might not be for everybody. That’s OK. I love it. It’s unique.I was in Carlsbad, California, and as I was driving home from a walk on the beach, I stopped at a fish store. They had some halibut that was so fresh it pinched me on the buttcheek as I walked by. The nerve! Hasn’t he been reading the papers?He should have--I think he was wrapped in one!Carlsbad must be the halibut capital of the world. They always seem to have an abundance and it ain't too expensive at all.I bought a one-pound piece, it looked wonderful and smelled like the sea. Then I went next door to the grocery store and bought some antipasti. Antipasti means “before the pasta” in Italian. It’s usually some peppers, olives, cheeses, salami, that kind of stuff. You have antipasti out on plates as your guests arrive at the trailer park.I wasn’t having anyone over for dinner, I just thought it might be nice to gnaw on an olive while I was cooking.So I bought some green and black Cerignola olives. My uncle Oscar used to buy these huge jars of Cerignola olives, and I always loved them. Then I got some red peppers. Or at least, I always thought they were red peppers.They were red, yes. And they were peppers, yes. I’ve been eating them for quite a while, and I always thought they were Italian. I was wrong. I know, hard to believe that Mr. Man could ever be wrong about anything, but it happened.I saw a little sign right above the bright red peppers, a sign that said “Peppadew.”Peppadew? Sounds like some kinda over-caffeinated energy beverage that the kids drink these days to get all jacked up before they go to one of them damn rock music festivals.I put some in the container with the olives, and when I got back to the house where I was dog-sitting, I decided to look them up. Peppadew.Well, it turns out that these were created—actually patented—in the 1990s in South Africa. I know, it sounds like something I’d make up, but I swear it’s true!I’ve been eating these things for years and I always thought they were Eye-Tralian. But they ain’t. They’re from South Africa, which is not too far from the country that's named in my honor…SlimBobWay.Peppadew peppers are about the size of a cherry tomato; they taste a little sweet, and a little spicy, and I’ve always liked them.So I put a few Peppadews and some olives in a bowl, and put the halibut on a plate, and in a stroke of fish-making mastery, I decided to make a sauce with the antipasti.But I wanted to make sure everything would get along, that these flavors would synch up.I tasted a black Cerignola olive and it was delish, not too strong. I tasted the green Cerignola olives, and they tasted…too pungent. Kinda sour. I wasn’t digging the flavor, so I left them out.So, I had black Cerignola olives, Peppadew, and what else should I add?I rounded up the Usual Suspects—olive oil, lemon, garlic, and shallots.And the sauce? She was a-so nice!INGREDIENTSThe Fish:1 pound skinless halibut filet2 tablespoons olive oilKosher saltBlack pepperTurbinado sugar The Sauce:2 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons chopped shallots2 tablespoons dry white wine1 tablespoon minced garlic2 tablespoons chopped black olives (no seeds)2 tablespoons chopped Peppadew peppers2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsleyHERE WE GO…The FishHeat a 12 inch sauté pan over medium heat.Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.As the oil heats, sprinkle a little Kosher salt, black pepper and turbinado sugar on top of each piece of fish.Place the fish—seasoned side down—in the pan, and sauté for 3 minutes. Don’t stir, don’t move.As the fish cooks, sprinkle the unseasoned top of the fish with a little Kosher salt, black pepper, and turbinado sugar.Turn the fish over, sauté on the other side for 3 minutes.Remove the fish from the pan to a nice platter.The SauceAdd 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the fish pan.Add the shallots, let them cook for a minute or two until the edges get golden.Add the white wine, stir, and let it cook off for a minute or two.Add the garlic, cook and stir for a minute or two.Add the olives and peppers, stir and cook for a couple minutes.Add the lemon juice and parsley, stir and cook for a minute or two.That’s it!Put the sauce on the fish, make it look all pretty with a garnish of fresh parsley, and…MANGIAMO!!!

 

 

Slim Man Cooks Macadamia and Panko Crusted Halibut

Slim Man Cooks Macadamia and Panko Crusted HalibutSome friends asked me to dogsit while they were at a wedding in Hawaii. The house was in Carslbad, and there was a fish market nearby, and they had the freshest halibut in the known universe. Every morning, the fishermen would bring it in. She was a-so nice!The fish was so fresh one of them pinched me on the buttcheek as I passed by.When my amigos got back from Hawaii, they brought some macadamia nuts. The nuts had honey on them, I mean, they were good, but maybe not good to cook with.So I got some regular, ridiculously expensive macadamia nuts at the grocery, grabbed a box of panko breadcrumbs, and went back to the house.Now, I’ve made halibut fish sticks before, they’re in the Slim Man Cooks cookbook; I made them with breadcrumbs and toasted pine nuts and dill.But I wanted to do something a little different. So I used macadamia nuts instead, and Italian flavored panko breadcrumbs. Lots of recipes call for garlic powder and onion powder, but I thought I’d give those two a break for a change.So I just added a little dried oregano and dried basil. She was a-so nice! You’ll need a total of 1 tablespoon. Instead of oregano and basil, you could use fresh rosemary chopped up, or fresh Italian flat leaf parsley chopped up, or thyme.In this recipe, THYMING is everything! You gotta dip the halibut in the egg, and then immediately press both sides in the breadcrumb/nut mix, and then sauté right away. You can’t do these in advance. Dip and fry, Slim People! INGREDIENTS1 pound skinless halibut filet, cut into rectangles, maybe 2 by 4 (inches, not feet)2 eggsSalt and pepper1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs½ cup macadamia nuts, chop your nuts fine!1 teaspoon dried oregano1 teaspoon dried basil½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper¼ cup olive oilHERE WE GO!Rinse your fish sticks off in cold water.Pat them dry with paper towels.Put ‘em on a platter.Take the eggs, break them in a bowl (I use a glass pie plate), add salt and pepper, and beat the crap out of them.Take the panko breadcrumbs, put them in a glass pie plate, or a large plate.Add the minced macadamia nuts, the oregano, the basil and the salt and pepper, and mick ‘em up!Put the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Toss in a couple breadcrumbs. When they start to brown, it’s time to get moving!Dip a fish stick in the egg, get it coated, let the excess drip off.Press each side into the breadcrumb/nut mix.Put it in the pan.Do this with all the fish sticks.Slim Folks…thick pieces of fish take longer to cook than thinner pieces. The objective here is to have them be golden brown on the outside, and moist and tender on the inside.Let the fish sticks cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the underside is golden brown, and flip ‘em over!Well, don’t literally flip them over, be gentle, turn them over, let them cook on the other side for 2 or 3 minutes, until golden brown.Remove them from the pan, put them on a platter lined with a layer or two of paper towels.Dish it up! Put a piece of fish on a good-looking plate, serve with a wedge of lemon, and maybe a side dish of penne with a simple tomato sauce, and maybe some sautéed broccolini, and… MANGIAMO! 

Slim Man Cooks Halibut Marsala

Slim Man Cooks Halibut MarsalaCooking can be a challenge sometimes. Not necessarily the cooking itself, it’s the people you’re cooking for! This one doesn’t eat dairy, that one doesn’t eat chicken, the other one doesn’t eat onions, another one doesn’t eat anything that had a mother…what’s a man to do?Well, I had some halibut, it was fresh and wild and caught that morning. I got it at the local fish store in Carlsbad, California. So I had that to work with. I was thinking of making a white wine sauce, but I wanted something different. So I figured I’d try a Marsala sauce on a piece of fish. Why fish? Because this one doesn’t eat chicken. And that one doesn’t eat veal.And Marsala sauce would be good on fish, especially a fish like halibut, and especially if you’re cooking for a Lady People. You see, Lady People like their sauce on the side. And Marsala sauce is cooked separately; you make the fish in one pan, and the sauce in another. So I dusted the halibut with flour that had been salted and peppered, and then sautéed it over medium-high heat in olive oil. Why olive oil, why not my usual combo of olive oil and butter?Because that one doesn’t do dairy. They’ll do eggs, but no dairy.So…I had it all figured out. I made the Marsala sauce first. As soon as it was done, I made the pasta, and drizzled it with olive oil and a little Marsala sauce. As soon as that was done, I cooked the fish, it only took 6 minutes.Why didn’t I do it all at once? Because the “F” factor goes way up when you have three things on the stove at the same time.So here we go, I’ll step you through it.NOTE!!! Prep your porcini mushrooms first! Put them in a cup of water and let them soak for 20 or 30 minutes. And cook the fish as soon as you flour it; you leave it sitting around and it won't fry right. And you know what Nat King Cole said...straighten up and fry right!Ingredients1 ½ pounds halibut filets, cut into rectangles½ ounce or more of dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in a bowl with 1 cup of water for a minimum of 20 minutes—don’t throw out the water!)1 cup flour7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 shallot, chopped fine, about ¼ cup4 garlic cloves, sliced thin, about 1 tablespoon1 cup sweet Marsala1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped½ pound of egg noodles—pappardelle work wellKosher salt and pepper to tasteHere we go!Let’s make the sauce first.Remove the porcini mushrooms from the cup of water with a slotted spoon.Take the remaining porcini water and strain through cheesecloth into a bowl. I’ve used paper towels, coffee filters, whatever you use, save the water!Rinse off the mushrooms and pat dry. Chop into small pieces.Put a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.Add 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil, (or one each of butter and olive oil).When the oil starts to shimmer, add the shallots.Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until the shallots just start to brown.Add the garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Give it a stir.Add the Marsala.Add the cup of porcini water.Turn the heat to high and let it cook for 2 minutes.Turn the heat to medium-low, and add the porcini mushrooms.Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.Add the rosemary. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.Turn the heat to the lowest, and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. You can whisk in a sprinkle or three of flour if you want it to be a little thicker, more gravy-like.Now let’s make the pasta…follow the directions on the box, or follow mine…get a large pot, fill it with cold water, put it on the highest heat ya got, when it comes to a boil, add a couple tablespoons of salt (I use Kosher, Mazel Tov!), and then add the pasta. KEEP THE HEAT ON HIGH AT ALL TIMES!When it’s al dente, firm to the bite, drain it and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, and mix gently. Add a couple tablespoons of the Marsala sauce and mix gently. Gently, Slim People!And Now for the Halibut…Rinse off your halibut filets and pat them dry with paper towels.Take the flour and put it on a flat plate. Add salt and pepper and whisk it up.Take a halibut filet, and press each side into the flour, shake off excess, put on a plate.Get a large sauté pan. Put it over medium-high heat.Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil. (Or 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil).When the oil starts to shimmer, add the halibut.Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until golden. Thicker pieces take longer.Flip ’em over. GENTLY!Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on the other side until golden.Put the fish on a platter.Plate ’em up! Put a piece of fish on a dish, a good-looking dish, not a paper plate, add a little pasta, then drizzle a little sauce over the fish and pasta, garnish with a sprig of rosemary, and…MANGIAMO!

Slim Man Cooks Halibut with Capers, Lemon, and White Wine

Slim Man Cooks Halibut with Capers, Lemon, and White WineSo…I went to house/dog sit for some friends. Their kid, a 20-year-old singer/surfer/guitar player with dreadlocks, had bought 2 pounds of fresh halibut, as in really and truly fresh, not frozen and then defrosted fresh, we’re talking fresh caught that morning.The fish was so fresh that I had to give it a cold shower.They asked me to cook. I love to cook. And I love not to cook. If someone wants to cook for me, or take me out to dinner, I’m good with that.But if people ask me to cook, I’ll cook. I don’t mind. They’re not asking me to paint their house, or tar their roof. I’m cooking dinner. So shut the hell up!So I started asking questions of my dear hosts…do you have flour? Capers? White wine? Garlic? Lemons?I went through a list of what they had, trying to figure out how I could make the halibut.There’s a chicken piccata recipe in the Slim Man Cooks cookbook. I thought, why not try it with halibut?Just for the halibut?I had everything but lemons. But I had some stashed in my bag. I carry lemons when I travel, about 4 or 5 in my bag. I drink lemon water just about every day, a couple glasses every morning, and I use fresh lemons.Plus, it makes my clothes smell oh-so nice!So I had lemons.The kid had bought 2 pounds of halibut. I’ll do this recipe for one pound; double it if you want.From the time I started, until the time it was ready to eat, we’re talking 10 minutes.KEEP IN MIND…you don't have to use garlic. My chicken piccata does not have garlic. I put garlic in with the piccata halibut, just for the halibut.Here we go:INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons of olive oil2 tablespoons butter1 cup floursalt and fresh cracked black pepper1 pound skinless halibut filet, cut into small rectangular pieces (5”x3” or so)4 cloves of smashed garlic (garlic cloves, smashed with broad side of knife, peeled)½ cup dry white wine (room temperature)2 tablespoons capers (and their juice)The juice of one fresh, ripe lemon (a tablespoon or two) Let’s get started…Put a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.Put the olive oil and butter in the sauté pan.When the butter starts to bubble…Put the flour on a large flat plate, sprinkle with salt and pepper.Take a piece of fish, roll it around in the flour, get it coated, gently shake off the excess.Gently, you morons.Put the fish in the sauté pan, do this with all the pieces of fish.Sprinkle the tops with a LITTLE salt and pepper.Cook for 2 or 3 minutes, until the underside is golden brown.Turn all the pieces of fish over.Sprinkle the tops with a LITTLE salt and pepper.Cook on the other side until golden brown.Remove to a beautiful platter.Let’s get back to the sauté pan, the one that’s still on medium-high heat.Add the smashed garlic to the pan, swirl it around for 30 seconds.Flip it over, swirl it around on the other side for 30 seconds.Add the wine, SLOWLY, IT’S GONNA FLARE UP--try not to give yourself third-degree burns.Swish the wine around. CAREFULLY!Add the capers. Swish and swirl for 30 seconds.Add the fresh-squeezed lemon juice, make sure you don’t let any seeds get through!Swirl and swish for 30 seconds.Remember the flour? The flour you dusted the fish with?Take a pinch or two of that, whisk it into the garlic/wine sauce.Keep taking a pinch of the flour, and whisking, until the sauce becomes more like a light…gravy.Pour the sauce over the fish.Garnish with lemon wedges, and maybe a sprig of parsley, and…MANGIAMO!

Slim Man Cooks the Best Fish Cakes

I had some concerts in Baltimore, Maryland, a few weeks ago. I did the shows, they were great, and I decided to hang out for a few days and visit some family and friends in the mental hospital. The last night of my trip, I sang the national anthem for the Baltimore Orioles; it was such an honor.And the Orioles beat the Pittsburgh Pirates that night in 11 innings! The next morning, at the crack of dawn, I flew to Palm Springs, Californy. On my way back to the Slim Shack, I picked up a beeyooteeful piece of halibut.I cooked it with my incredibly edible salmoriglio sauce, which is a quick Sicilian sauce with lemon, moscato (sweet) white wine, garlic, parsley and lemon. She was-a-so nice!I didn't eat it all. I mean, with a name like Slim Man, you can't be stuffing your face like your facing execution in the morning!So the next day, I'm looking at the leftover broiled halibut. What to do? Leftover fish ain’t my favorite thing in the world. Then I remembered one time I was up at my dad’s cabin, Rat Tail Ridge, in upstate New York—the Upper U.S.—and I had some leftover salmon.So I made fish cakes with the salmon, like crab cakes except with fish. They were scrump-diddly-umptious. So I decided to make fish cakes with the leftover halibut. Just for the halibut.I didn't want to add a lot of stuff to the fish cakes, because the fish already had the salmoriglio sauce on it, and I didn't want to add too many flavors to the fish. But…if you’re using a plain piece of cooked fish, you might want to add a teaspoon of mustard, or Old Bay seasoning, or Worcestershire sauce. Or all three!All I added to the halibut was a little mayo, some panko bread crumbs, an egg and some salt and pepper.I mixed it all together, made some patties, and broiled the fish cakes. Why broil? Why not fry?Because there was a Lady People at the Slim Shack, and women folks don’t like things that are fried. Well, they like them, but they don’t want to eat them because they think it will make them…how do I put this…plump. Now, I’m a man who likes a little meat on the bone, but it’s important to keep the ladies happy.Because if they ladies ain’t happy, you, my friend, will not be happy. So I just shut the hell up and broiled.The fish cakes were delizioso. Seriously. Keep in mind, the fish is already cooked, you’re basically just heating it up. So you don’t have to cook it for real long, just long enough for the tops to get golden brown.And you don’t have to turn them over, because the heat from the baking pan will heat up the underside of the fish cake.That’s it.INGREDIENTS2 cups of leftover cooked fish (check for bones and skin and remove them)1 egg1 tablespoon mayo½ cup panko breadcrumbsSalt and fresh-cracked black pepper to tasteHERE WE GO…Put all the ingredients in a bowl.Mix gently. You don’t want to completely smash up the fish, leave it a bit chunky.Form into 4 cakes, about the size of a small hamburger patty.Take a baking pan, put a little olive oil or non-stick cooking spray on the bottom, so the fish cakes don’t stick.Put your broiler on high.Put the fish cakes on the pan, and stick them under the broiler.Broil for 4 or 5 minutes, or until golden brown.Keep your eyes on these guys! Don’t burn them!Remove from the broiler, put the fish cakes on a nice plate.Dish it up! Add a little tartar sauce, and a little Dijon mustard on the side. I made my own tartar sauce with about a tablespoon of mayo and a teaspoon of sweet relish.Dip and eat!MANGIAMO!!!

Slim Man Cooks Halibut Panko Fish Sticks

My sister had all her kids by C-section.  They’re all pretty normal, except whenever they leave the house, they go out the window.When the doctors perform a C-section (cesarean section) they make an incision, and bring the baby out via the abdomen rather than, well you know. They stitch you back up, and instruct you to stay still for a week or so until your incision has healed.  When my sister had her first baby, she asked me to babysit for a week while she recovered.  I did.  I loved it.  I told my sister that whenever she had another kid, I’d do it again.I had no idea at the time that she’d go on to have four more kids.The doctors should have put a piece of Velcro on her stomach.  My sister had kids every two years, like clockwork.  At one point I was babysitting a newborn, a two year-old, a four year-old, a six year-old and an eight year-old.  My sister used cloth diapers. Not on herself, on the kids. So whenever the kids peed or pooped, you had to take off the diapers, shake ‘em out, and put on a fresh one—with safety pins. And then put on a diaper cover. Babysitting was hectic.  Crazy.It was exhausting, yes, but I actually didn’t mind it.  Whenever my sister and her husband needed a break from their precious little monsters, they’d ask Uncle Slimmy to come up for a while.Babysitting five kids is like living in a tornado – it’s a whirlwind of activity.  Get ‘em up, get ‘em dressed, make breakfast, get lunches packed, cut chewing gum out of their hair and then get them off to school.After school, you pick them up, drive ‘em around to all their after-school activities, go home, make dinner, clean up, make sure they do their homework, and then put ‘em to bed.The next day, you get up and do it all over again for the ingrates.One especially hectic morning, all the kids were running around screaming.  I was trying to make sure all five were dressed; I was making school lunches and trying to get everybody ready for school.I’m not good at breakfast.  I can cook you a dinner that will make you cry tears of joy, or at least not make you sick, but breakfast for me is some fresh fruit, maybe an English muffin.I rarely eat cereal, especially the kind kids like to eat – Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch, Count Chocula.  But when you need to feed the little monsters in the morning and you’re in a hurry, cereal is quick and easy.  You just fill a bowl and grab some milk.Which is what I did that crazy morning - except when I grabbed the milk carton, it was empty.  Well, there was a drop.  Kids love to do that, don’t they?  They’ll drink out of the carton, and leave the last drop so they won’t have to throw it away.So there they are, five kids seated at the table, bowls filled with cereal, clock ticking, and no milk. The kids had a rare moment of silence.  They all looked at me, wondering what I was going to do next.I looked at the clock.  We were running way late.   I grabbed a liter bottle of Coca-Cola and poured it over the cereal in each bowl.  They first looked at me like I was crazy. Then suddenly they all just thought it was the coolest thing in the world.  They ate it up.  They left the house that morning on the highest of sugar highs.No one got sick, so I’m marking it down as a successful meal.Breakfast was a crapshoot, but I almost always had a nice home-cooked dinner for the kids when they got back from school.  Spaghetti and meatballs.  Chicken Parmigiano.  Cacio e Pepe (Italian mac ‘n cheese).But one night, I realized we had nothing in the fridge.  It was too late to go to the store and come home and cook.  So I ordered Chinese food.  Only one problem – they didn’t deliver out in the sticks where my sister lived, meaning I’d have to jump in the car and go pick it up…My favorite car ever?  My Jeep Wrangler convertible.  I loved that car.  It was a manly man’s car; stripped down of all luxury.  No radio.  No AC.  No back seat.  A canvas top.  Canvas doors.  Plastic windows.  It was a rough ride. I loved to put the dogs in the back, smoke cigars and drive around.When the weather was nice, and you had the top down and the doors off, it was heavenly.  It was basically a two-seater.  Which posed a problem that night.  I couldn’t leave the kids home alone while I went to pick up Chinese food.I didn’t have enough seats or seat belts to strap them all in.  What to do?I put the two youngest in the front seat and strapped them in together.  The other three I put in the back, and covered them with a big blanket.  It looked like I was trying to smuggle illegals.  I told them to shut up, and I gently drove to the Chinese place, picked up dinner, and drove back.It was only a few miles.  I took it easy on the brakes – I didn’t want those kids rolling around the back of the Jeep.  I’m just glad I didn’t get stopped by the cops.After that, the kids wanted me to drive them around all the time in the back of the Jeep.  I didn’t want to press my luck with the police, so I’d drive them around the property, through the cornfields, over the hills.  They loved it.I did an all-ages show one Christmas in Towson, Maryland. The nieces and nephew were just kids, they came down and sat in the front row. It was the first time they’d seen me on stage. To this day I remember how good that made me feel to see them there. None of them fell asleep, like people normally do at my concerts.I introduced the kids to the crowd, and then asked them to come up on stage and sing with “Uncle Slimmy.” They were mortified. It was the first time I ever called myself Uncle Slimmy. The name stuck. The kids didn’t come up on stage that night—but they’ve been coming to Slim Shows ever since. I thought they’d have more sense than that.I was honored when my oldest niece asked me to sing “End of the Rainbow” at her wedding three years ago. She just had twin girls. She didn’t name either one “Slim”. But it does make me a great uncle.Great Uncle Slimmy.HALIBUT PANKO FISH STICKSMy Mom was a great cook. But when she was in a rush to get dinner on the table for us kids, sometimes she’d pull a package of Mrs. Paul’s Fish Sticks out of the freezer and heat ‘em up.  When I was trying to come up with a recipe for a piece of halibut, I decided to cut it into pieces the size of Mrs. Paul’s, and make my own fish sticks.  I’m a genius, ain’t I?How did fish get to be so expensive? The halibut I used was $28 a pound. That’s ridiculous. What’s even more ridiculous is using that expensive halibut to make fish sticks. But they are so ridiculously good.I love panko bread crumbs.  I mean, I don’t eat them out of the bag, but they’re great for frying. Panko breadcrumbs are all the rage right now.  I understand why panko breadcrumbs are so popular.  They’re light, crunchy, delicious, and have a great texture.Where the hell were they a few years ago?  It’s like balsamic vinegar - up until ten years ago, nobody knew what balsamic vinegar was. All we had was Progresso red wine vinegar.And now?  We have 500 varieties of balsamic vinegar.  We’ve got $600 bottles of balsamic vinegar made by monks in Montepulciano.As far as the fish goes, you can use any thick, firm-fleshed white fish — halibut, sea bass, or grouper.  Cod would be an inexpensive alternative. The best way to cut these filets is into rectangles, about four inches long and about an inch wide.Another thing – don’t bread the fish in advance.  Dip and fry, that’s what I always say.  If you leave breaded filets sitting around, they get gooey and don’t fry right.  And you know what Nat King Cole said,”Straighten up and fry right!”INGREDIENTS1 pound skinless halibut filets, cut into rectangular pieces2 eggsSalt and fresh ground black pepper½  cup canola oil (or olive oil)2 cups panko breadcrumbs on a plate (you might not use them all)Here we go…Rinse the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Put the fish on a platter.Take the eggs, and put them in a shallow bowl.  Add salt and pepper.  Beat it!Heat the canola oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  You can use canola oil for this, because it doesn’t smoke at high temperatures.  But I’ve used olive oil many times with great results.Grab a piece of fish.  Dip it in the beaten egg, let the excess drip off.Then roll it in the panko breadcrumbs.  Press each side in, make sure the panko sticks to each side of the fish.  Put it on a plate.Do this with all the pieces of fish.When all the fish is breaded, take a pinch of the breadcrumbs, and drop ‘em in the oil.  If they sizzle, the oil is hot and ready.Place as many pieces of fish as you can in the hot canola oil.  When you see the bottom edges of the fish turn golden brown – 2 or 3 minutes - use some tongs and turn them over.  Don’t fork it – you don’t want to lose any of the juiciness, and you don’t want the fish to flake apart on ya.Brown on the other side for about 2 or 3 minutes.When both sides are golden brown, place on a plate with covered with a layer or two of paper towels.You gotta eat this dish right away.  Plate it up right quickly, garnish with parsley, and serve with lemon slices. My Caprese salad is the perfect side for these fish sticks.MANGIAMO!!!!!!!!!!!