Tonight I wanted to make something quick, healthy and tasty for dinner after my long day of orientation. I have heard many rave reviews of this tilapia dish from Allrecipes. I have been anxious to try it and see how it went over with Ben, the not-so-seafood lover. He really liked it, as did I. This will definitely be added to my permanent collection. It didn’t taste very “fishy” at all. The asparagus from Williams Sonoma was a nice accompaniment, and a great way to make use of the rest of the lemon from the fish. I also served yeast rolls from The Fresh Market, one of my favorite freezer staples.
I only made a few changes to the tilapia, mainly just because of having different seasonings on hand. I used a little more dried basil than the recipe calls for to suit my tastes. I used celery seed instead of celery salt, and onion salt instead of onion powder, because that was what I had on hand. I didn’t make any changes to the asparagus, other than to only make enough for the two of us. The halved version of the original recipe is below.
Broiled Parmesan Tilapia
Ingredients:
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. butter, softened
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. dried basil
1/8 tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. onion salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb. tilapia fillets
Directions:
Preheat your oven’s broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion salt and celery seed. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.
Roasted Asparagus with Lemon
Ingredients:
1 lb. asparagus
1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
½ lemon, cut into wedges
Directions:
Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 450°F.
Snap off the tough stem ends from the asparagus spears and discard. Arrange the spears in a baking dish.
In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic and lemon zest. Brush the asparagus evenly with the oil, turning the spears to coat well, and season generously with salt and pepper. Arrange the lemon wedges around the asparagus.
Bake until the asparagus is tender and just turning golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to a warmed serving platter and drizzle with the pan juices.
