I do a lot of shopping at Kroger’s, For one thing, it’s right across the road. I can walk there, but I don’t, naturally. I have a car and I’m not a dummy.
In the past few months I have seen more and more of Kroger’s premiere private label goods on the shelves, and everything I’ve tried has been top notch. They call their top brand Private Selection. Their Private Selection breads are delicious, and not as expensive as brand names. I bought a pack of their Private Selection all-Angus beef hot dogs and they were super good. Recently, I stumbled across another product called Parmesan Herb Crusted Panko Bread Crumbs. I didn’t buy it because of the private label, but because it was exactly what I was looking for. Below are two simple recipes using these Parmesan Herb crumbs that have turned out perfectly. I’m sure other companies make this breading, but the Kroger Private Selection brand comes with my 100% endorsement.
Herb Crusted Zucchini
I needed a fancy green vegetable for company, and I decided on zucchini with a twist. For starters, I selected small, firm zucchinis and cut them in half, then into quarters. They looked like green French fries. Next, I soaked them in buttermilk. Buttermilk, I find, makes breading adhere to food and vegetables better than an egg wash.
I removed the soaked strips, dipped them in the Parmesan Herb Panko mix and placed them on a parchment sheet, put them in a 400 degree and cooked them till golden brown, about 20 minutes. They were attractive on the table, absolutely yummy and made an easy and delicious side dish.
Herb Crusted Salmon
Last night, I broke out the Parmesan Herb Panko again as a topping for a big slab of salmon. First, I doused the salmon in lemon juice, added salt, pepper and garlic powder, a few dots of butter and then coated the fish with the Parmesan Herb Panko Bread Crumbs. Into the oven the dish went at 375 for about 25 minutes. The salmon turned out perfectly.
Keep a box of this panko mix on hand, and who knows how many dishes you can concoct?
