What Is Panko and How Do I Use It?

Crab Cakes Coated in Panko Crumbs

Panko are Japanese breadcrumbs, which are larger than cornmeal and normal breadcrumbs and are crunchier than either.  Panko crumbs are made from plain white bread which has been baked in a special procedure to dry them out and keep a bread crust from forming. 

Why bother getting panko crumbs?
They provide excellent crunch to whatever you’re frying or baking, be it pieces of raw chicken, meat, seafood, vegetables or even mashed potato pancakes.

The key to using panko is to dip the food you wish to fry or bake into an egg/milk mixture and then into panko crumbs until the food is completely coated.

Panko Crumbs

Frying: fry the food in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat for 3-to-4 minutes (or according to the recipe) until the bottom is mostly brown and crispy.  Flip and cook for another 3-to-4 minutes (or longer, as the recipe requires). 

Baking: once the food is coated with panko crumbs, bake according to the recipe.

Serve immediately.

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