OK, so this one did not come to me instantly and, in fact, was an evolutionary process.
I didn't discover until recently that I liked tilapia. Growing up in Missouri, the only fish we ate was fried - either catfish or spoonbill if my dad had been fishing, and Mrs. Paul's or Long John Silver's once or twice a month. So in an effort to try to eat healthier, I decided to buy a bag of frozen tilapia fillets at m' local Costco store.
The first time I cooked them, I did something that is very unlike me, I decided to begin by actually reading the label. Following the directions printed on the bag, I baked two fillets at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Once finished, the fish had been cooked perfectly, light and flaky and tasty, although a little boring and bland.
Fast forward a couple of weeks to my 2nd attempt. This time I added to the previous process by placing a couple of pats of butter on top of the fish before baking and then covering the them with a light dusting of seasoned bread crumbs. 30 minutes later, it was good.
After my recent success, I decided to experiment further and replaced my butter pats with a layer of honey mustard between the fish and crumbs. My thinking was not only that this would add a little more flavor, but would actually be healthier as the mustard had less calories than the butter. I was happy but not surprised to find that the results were even better than before. My only criticism this time was that it tasted just the teeniest bit too sweet.
Last night, I feel like I made a significant improvement to this already tasty dish by adding one simple ingredient - pepper. This time, after spreading the mustard and before sprinkling the bread crumbs, I decided to add four or five twists* my special black pepper / red pepper flakes mixture over the top. The result, I dare say, was a spot-on. The combination of flavors and textures that was really, just right. On the top you had the slightly salty, slightly crispy bread crumbs. Next you got a tiny kick followed by the sweet and tangy combo of the honey mustard. To finish, the fish, as always, was light, bright, and flaky. Perfecto!
By adding only seconds to the prep time and an insignificant amount of calories, the result is a healthy entree with wonderfully layered flavors. As Chef Tell used to say, "Very simple. Very easy." I say, give it try!
*A "twist" is my term to describe the amount of ground seasoning that results from one twist of a pepper mill.
I didn't discover until recently that I liked tilapia. Growing up in Missouri, the only fish we ate was fried - either catfish or spoonbill if my dad had been fishing, and Mrs. Paul's or Long John Silver's once or twice a month. So in an effort to try to eat healthier, I decided to buy a bag of frozen tilapia fillets at m' local Costco store.
The first time I cooked them, I did something that is very unlike me, I decided to begin by actually reading the label. Following the directions printed on the bag, I baked two fillets at 400 degrees for approximately 30 minutes. Once finished, the fish had been cooked perfectly, light and flaky and tasty, although a little boring and bland.
Fast forward a couple of weeks to my 2nd attempt. This time I added to the previous process by placing a couple of pats of butter on top of the fish before baking and then covering the them with a light dusting of seasoned bread crumbs. 30 minutes later, it was good.
After my recent success, I decided to experiment further and replaced my butter pats with a layer of honey mustard between the fish and crumbs. My thinking was not only that this would add a little more flavor, but would actually be healthier as the mustard had less calories than the butter. I was happy but not surprised to find that the results were even better than before. My only criticism this time was that it tasted just the teeniest bit too sweet.
Last night, I feel like I made a significant improvement to this already tasty dish by adding one simple ingredient - pepper. This time, after spreading the mustard and before sprinkling the bread crumbs, I decided to add four or five twists* my special black pepper / red pepper flakes mixture over the top. The result, I dare say, was a spot-on. The combination of flavors and textures that was really, just right. On the top you had the slightly salty, slightly crispy bread crumbs. Next you got a tiny kick followed by the sweet and tangy combo of the honey mustard. To finish, the fish, as always, was light, bright, and flaky. Perfecto!
By adding only seconds to the prep time and an insignificant amount of calories, the result is a healthy entree with wonderfully layered flavors. As Chef Tell used to say, "Very simple. Very easy." I say, give it try!
*A "twist" is my term to describe the amount of ground seasoning that results from one twist of a pepper mill.
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