Pan Fried Tilapia

In the mood for fried fish, but don't want the hassle and grease of deep frying? I love the crunchy texture of fried food, but hate the greasy mess. My cooking life was changed for the better when I discovered pan frying. Way less oil, same great taste!

Pan Fried Tilapia

Cooking Ingredients:

2 tilapia fillets
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs milk
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tbs cut oats (to add that crunchy texture, for a less healthy option try crushed corn flakes)
1 tsp seasoned salt (I prefer Tony's)
2 tbs olive oil
*(side note: when cooking one of my own creations I don't really measure things, which makes it hard to share the recipe with others - oops - so these measurements are approximations)*

Cooking Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Marinate fillets in soy sauce and milk while oil is heating.

2. Combine bread crumbs, oats, and seasoned salt in a plastic bag. One at a time, place fillets in the bag and shake to cover with the mixture.

3. Cook the fillets on the stove until golden brown on both sides (about 5 minutes each side, depending on how thick your fillets are).

P.S. For my asparagus recipe hop on over to The Pioneer Woman here. Super simple!

Mustard Baked Tilapia

Chicken. Chicken. Chicken. I know that by now most of you are probably asking, "Does she ever cook supper with something besides chicken (and the occasional ground beef in a crock pot)?" Truth is, ashamedly, no, not really. So this week I was on a mission to make something for dinner that didn't have ANY chicken in it! Plus, now that we live in Louisiana I'm supposed to become a seafood lover (yeah, good luck with that happening any time soon). There is one fish that I don't mind consuming every now and then that doesn't have much of that "fishy" taste: tilapia.

So I reached into the freezer, past the chicken, and grabbed two tilapia fillets I had picked up at the grocery store earlier in the week. Now what? If I was going to eat fish I didn't want it bland and tasting like, well, fish. So I rummaged through the refrigerator and here is what came of it:

Mustard Baked Tilapia

Ingredients:

2 tilapia fillets

2 tablespoons spicy mustard

4 tablespoons bread crumbs

Cooking Directions:

1. Coat fillets in spicy mustard (I found it easiest to use a knife to spread it). Sprinkle bread crumbs on both sides of the fillets.

2. Place in a baking dish and bake in oven at 350* for 15 minutes.

Sorry that I didn't get a picture but the hubs gobbled his up too quick (and well, I was starving!). The fish came out very juicy and flavorful. The mustard did the trick and covered up any "fishy" taste. I served green beans and pan-fried potatoes as well, so I guess you can say we had a healthy version of "fish and chips". And the whole meal took only 30 minutes. Which was perfect since we had both worked long days and were super hungry by the time that we got home.

So... voila! I can cook supper without chicken! But don't laugh at me when my next recipe is a chicken casserole. It's one I've been wanting to try for weeks. ;)