Fish Fingers and Custard

From the Doctor Who television series  

  Image from The Geeky Chef Cookbook  

Alright, Whovians, you got your wish! Fish Fingers and Custard, also known as Fish Custard, is a dish enjoyed by the 11th Doctor shortly after his regeneration. The dish has a sort of emotional relevance to the celebrated relationship between the Doctor and Amelia Pond, you can watch the complete scene here to see its introduction.  Fish Fingers and Custard does not seem like something a normal person might want too eat, not all of us are time lords with pregnancy-like food preferences. In reality, Matt Smith, the actor who plays the newest Doctor, was actually eating breaded coconut cakes during this scene. So, there were two possible options to make this idea palatable: you either make the fish fingers into some sort of pastry, or you make the custard into something savory that compliments fried fish. I have found many recipes already that make this dish into more of a dessert (I recommend this one if you want to go that route) but I have never been one to go sweet unless the dish was intended to be a dessert, so I decided to make a savory version. My recipe pairs a panko and coconut battered fried fish finger (coconut added as tribute to the reality of the scene) and tangy lemon honey mustard dipping sauce (that basically looks like custard) which compliments it perfectly.


Ingredients:

For the fish fingers:

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs

1 tbs. milk

1lb tilapia filets, cut into 1 inch strips (cod or haddock will also work)

1 cup of panko breadcrumbs

1 cup of coconut flakes

Frying oil (how much depends on the size of your pan)

Salt and Pepper to taste


For the custard:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsps yellow mustard (prepared)

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsps honey

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 cloves minced garlic


Directions:
Make sure fish is cut into 1 inch thick strips.  Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Beat the eggs with the milk in another shallow bowl.  Mix the breadcrumbs and coconut  in a third shallow bowl.  Coat each fish piece in seasoned flour, dip in the eggs mixture and then roll in the panko and coconut mixture.  Set aside until ready to cook. Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  In small batches, fry the fish sticks until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.  To make the custard sauce simply combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. Liberally dip fish fingers in the custard sauce and enjoy!

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