Tilapia Parmesan

Josh was in charge of dinner tonight, so he found this recipe on allrecipes and put it together. We used 1 lb of tilapia fillets but Josh still made all the sauce - it was definitely too much topping, but it was delicious! Good job babe!

Tilapia Parmesan
adapted from Allrecipes; serves 4 as written

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (we used reduced fat)
2 Tbsp. butter, softened
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (we used light)
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. dried basil (we recommend fresh if you have it!)
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

DIRECTIONS:
1. Pan fry the tilapia fillets in a little olive oil over medium heat for a couple minutes on each side. (You could also broil them if you prefer)
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice, dried basil, pepper, garlic powder and salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Cover the tilapia with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

REVIEW:
This was very yummy, and quick to put together since we paired it with a bag of microwave veggies. We cut the butter in half from the original recipe and used low fat mayo and cheese to make it a little healthier. You could certainly play with the spices a little more to get other flavors you enjoy in there. Heck, if you don't like fish, try this topping on some chicken breasts.

Lemon and Herb Tilapia

Another Friday during Lent. Josh was having some meaty leftovers, so I decided to quickly pan-fry some tilapia filets for myself. These only take a few minutes, and I just picked some spices I had on hand. I used Italian style herbs, but you could also use cajun seasoning or a citrus blend.Lemon and Herb Pan-fried Tilapia
serves 1 as written

2 small tilapia filets
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Dry the tilapia filets with a paper towel to remove excess moisture (this will help them get a nice color on the outside).
2. Rub the Italian seasoning on each side of each filet and pan fry for a few minutes on each side.
3. Remove from pan and top with freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice. Enjoy!

REVIEW:
This was nice and light, and very easy. I like to keep a bag of individually vacuum packed tilapia filets in the freezer - just defrost in the fridge a day ahead of time. You could serve it over rice, and with a veggie for a more complete meal. Or you could have a big bowl of popcorn after dinner like I did. :)