Spicy Tilapia

I have never cooked seafood before. Nor have I ever had Tilapia. This was an adventure and a challenge to myself. For this recipe I asked a certain someone what I should cook, and he instantly said seafood. I was a little skeptical at first because I had no idea how to cook fish. We went back and forth on salmon and tilapia before I finally settled on this recipe. I was leaning a little more toward salmon at first, because I know I like salmon, but the store I walked to had tilapia for a little cheaper. So price made the decision for me. :)

Now, once again, I ventured away from my magazines and cookbooks. I was given this recipe first and really liked it, but I really wanted to go through my cookbooks before cooking since the last recipe was from the internet as well. I looked through all of my books and magazines, but found no tilapia recipe like the one I had in my hand. This recipe was smart for me to try since I don't like the fishy taste of seafood, so the spicy was good to cover it up (If there would have been...there was no fishy taste at all). Not one recipe in my books. Not one. So I promise that the next recipe will be from my own collection.

Now my repertoire of dishes expands even further, and I am proud of myself for trying something new just like that. I can't wait to cook this for dinner when my soldier gets home! The fish came out perfectly. It was juicy, and pulled apart nicely. I would almost call it blackened tilapia, but this title definitely lives up to it's name. Not too spicy, but enough to get the taste buds moving!

If you have these spices in your cupboard this dish can end up being very cheap!

There are so many things you can do for a side with this recipe. The spice is strong so I sprinkled chili powder and pepper on the corn to match flavors, but you can go with another kind of vegetable or rice. It's a blank canvas for you!

Spicy Tilapa (printer friendly version)

www.food.com

Ingredients:

3 tilapia fillets (about 1lb)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup lemon juice

Directions:

1. Place fish in a glass pan and preheat oven to 350'.
2. Combine and melt the butter and lemon juice in the microwave, then pour over the fillets.
3. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients (vary amounts of each to your liking).
4. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 2 (not including side)

Nutrition: (1.5 fillets) Calories 179.2; Fat 17.8g; Cholesterol 45.8mg; Sodium 731.1mg; Protein 0.8g; Carb 7.3g