I am so excited to introduce you, dear readers, to a new monthly feature here on Finest of Suppers: the Finest of Suppers Book and Cook Club! In this monthly series, I hope to feature engaging, exciting middle grade novels that lend themselves well to discussion. Each book club post will include a book recommendation and review, a recipe inspired by the book, and a printable sheet of discussion questions. These questions will be geared more toward an adult/child discussion group, but this could be a book club of several friends, a family book club, or a parent and child reading these books together. The books will be most appropriate for grades 4th – 8th, but that really depends on the reading level and maturity of the individual kids. You could also use these books as read-alouds with your family and make the recipe together to enjoy while you read. Whatever you choose to do, I hope that these books, recipes, and discussion questions will inspire kids and families to enjoy reading, and cooking together!
Download your printable Malamander discussion guide by clicking on the image below:
My first Finest of Suppers Book and Cook Club selection is Malamander by Thomas Taylor. This book begins as the first winter storm is blowing into the town of Eerie-on-Sea. Herbert Lemon, the 12-year old orphan in charge of the Lost and Found at the Grand Nautilus Hotel, is surprised by the appearance of a girl in the window of his cellar room. He invites Violet Parma in to share the warmth of his small stove and is soon caught up in her story of being chased by a menacing sailor as she is trying to find her lost parents. Violet knows that her parents once stayed at the Grand Nautilus Hotel and she was found as a baby on the beach nearby. Violet is convinced that her parents are still alive and determined to find them. As Herbie and Violet search for her parents, they are drawn into a web of intrigue surrounding the stories of a mythical creature called the Malamander and those who want to find the creature for their own purposes. Malamander is a mystery, adventure story, and ode to friendship all in one exhilarating book and is an exciting book to read aloud.
One of the things I love so much about Malamander is that, despite taking place in a seaside town, it is a wonderfully cozy book to read during the winter. It seems to me that many books with seaside settings take place in warm weather, but this book has a decidedly wintery feel from the first page when Violet climbs into Herbie’s window along with “a whole lot of winter”. Throughout the book, Violet and Herbie warm up by enjoying “two plates of crispy golden fish and chips” at Seegol’s Diner on the pier. The descriptions of the diner are so vivid that you can almost feel the steamy warmth as they walk inside and smell the savory scent of fish frying. So, of course, I knew that I would be featuring a recipe for Fish and Chips with this book. I love a good battered, golden fried plate of fish and chips, but I also know that is not the healthiest way to eat fish regularly and frying can quickly make an enormous mess of any kitchen. Therefore, I’m sharing my quick, easy, mess-free recipe for baked fish and chips. Panko breadcrumbs give the fish a delightful crunch and garlic is added to the potatoes for extra flavor. You can have these fish and chips on the table in just over 30 minutes with no messy oil splatters to clean up and they taste almost as good as the traditional version.
Baked Fish and Garlic Chips
Preheat an oven with 2 racks to 425ºF. Pat the potato wedges dry with paper towels and spread them out on a baking sheet. Combine the seasoned salt, black pepper and smoked paprika and sprinkle the seasonings evenly over the potato wedges. Drizzled the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes and toss to coat the potatoes evenly with oil and seasonings. Chop the parsley and garlic and set aside. Place the pan of potatoes on the top rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, prepare the fish. Line a second baking sheet with foil and spray or brush with about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Cut the tilapia into 1-inch thick strips and sprinkle evenly with the 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Place the flour in a pie plate or shallow dish. In a second dish, beat together the eggs and Tablespoon of mustard. In a third dish, stir together the panko, paprika, and thyme.
To coat the fish: Dip one piece of fish in the flour to coat evenly. Next, dip the fish in the egg, turning to coat evenly. Last, dip the fish in the panko mixture, patting the breadcrumbs onto the fish until it is evenly coated. Place the coated piece of fish on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the fish.
After all the fish has been prepared, and the potatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, place the pan of fish on the bottom rack of the oven. At this time, also flip the potato wedges so that they brown evenly. Bake the fish and potatoes for 8 minutes, then flip the fish over to bake evenly and sprinkle the chopped parsley and garlic over the potatoes. Return the potatoes and fish to the oven and continue to cook another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are evenly browned and the fish is cooked through and golden brown. Check the potatoes often during this last 10 minutes of cooking as they may burn quickly at the end. Serve the fish and potatoes immediately with lemon wedges and/or malt vinegar.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat an oven with 2 racks to 425ºF. Pat the potato wedges dry with paper towels and spread them out on a baking sheet. Combine the seasoned salt, black pepper and smoked paprika and sprinkle the seasonings evenly over the potato wedges. Drizzled the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over the potatoes and toss to coat the potatoes evenly with oil and seasonings. Chop the parsley and garlic and set aside. Place the pan of potatoes on the top rack of the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes are baking, prepare the fish. Line a second baking sheet with foil and spray or brush with about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Cut the tilapia into 1-inch thick strips and sprinkle evenly with the 1 teaspoon of Kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Place the flour in a pie plate or shallow dish. In a second dish, beat together the eggs and Tablespoon of mustard. In a third dish, stir together the panko, paprika, and thyme.
To coat the fish: Dip one piece of fish in the flour to coat evenly. Next, dip the fish in the egg, turning to coat evenly. Last, dip the fish in the panko mixture, patting the breadcrumbs onto the fish until it is evenly coated. Place the coated piece of fish on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the fish.
After all the fish has been prepared, and the potatoes have cooked for 15 minutes, place the pan of fish on the bottom rack of the oven. At this time, also flip the potato wedges so that they brown evenly. Bake the fish and potatoes for 8 minutes, then flip the fish over to bake evenly and sprinkle the chopped parsley and garlic over the potatoes. Return the potatoes and fish to the oven and continue to cook another 8 to 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are evenly browned and the fish is cooked through and golden brown. Check the potatoes often during this last 10 minutes of cooking as they may burn quickly at the end. Serve the fish and potatoes immediately with lemon wedges and/or malt vinegar.
