Cod-dled

Preparing and cooking fish, in my childhood memories, was simultaneously ceremonial and ordinary. The sunlight wouldn't have yet reached the kitchen window when my grandfather would place the day's catch - purchased on his dawn walk from the fishmonger's - on the counter. His expert fingers would begin notching the cold, dead grass carp with a knife at certain intervals. Before you could blink, the fillets would be ready, washed, wiped, dry and rubbed in turmeric. The wok oil would simmer gently, and soon the pungency of mustard oil would waft through each room, subtly flavoring each bite of breakfast and stinging the eyes as one emerged from the bath. At 2 PM exactly, all seven of us would gather at the dining table, my grandmother doling out steaming rice and fish cooked in a sauce of mustard seeds, onions, garlic, ginger, tomatoes and other ingredients my palate has never been able to identify. All I know is, it tasted damn good.

All of this to say, I've never mastered my grandparents' technique for cooking fish. The memories continue to taste delicious. The following recipe, then, is just something I whipped this afternoon:

Ingredients
One fillet of cod, cleaned and wiped dry
Panko bread crumbs, about 1/4 c.
Red chili powder, 1/2 tsp.
One clove of garlic, minced
Ginger, chopped, 1 tsp.
Salt + Pepper
One avocado, chopped
1/4 of an onion, sliced
Green onions, about 1/3 c., chopped
1 egg, beaten well
Soy sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp., separated
Cilantro, handful

1. In a shallow bowl, mix the bread crumbs, red chili powder, garlic, ginger and salt+pepper.
2. In another shallow bowl, beat the egg and soy sauce together.
3. Soak both sides of the cod, allowing the egg wash over each side for several seconds at a time.
4. Place the cod into the bread crumbs, pressing down gently on the cod. Make sure bread crumbs cover the cod completely.
5. In a frying pan, allow 2 tablespoons of olive oil to warm over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the cod gently into the oil, and cook on each for side for about 3 minutes.
6. Place the cod on a plate. In the remaining oil, cook any remaining bread crumbs with the sliced onions. Splash the remaining soy sauce into the pan, and stir.
7. Put the chopped avocado into a heap on the fish plate. Empty the contents of the pan onto the avocado. Top off the fish with the spring onions.
8. Eat up - repeat as necessary.