Herbed Tilapia for One

Since my husband works evenings several nights a week, DJing at (five) local radio stations, or "slaving over a hot mic" as he calls it, I'm often left to scrounge up dinner on my own. Don't get me wrong. I do cook for him.  I've actually changed our eating habits to a 3pm dinner (biggest meal) and then sometimes I eat again later ir more often, I don't. And sometimes he grabs a Jimmy John's on the way to work or not and sometimes he's ready for a meal when he gets home at midnight.  My point is that in the war to at least give lip service to eating healthily no matter what time it is, this fish is super easy and hits all the right notes.  It works on just about any easily available species of fish but we usually buy frozen tilapia or cod in bags with individual filets, and sometimes when we're lucky, and my cousin Kim has been to Alaska to fish, we get frozen bags of assorted fresh caught fish, which is a huge treat.  

Let me just cut to the punchline of this post.  The recipe I'm going to give you is a bastardization of the recipe my cousin, Ann (Kim's wife) gave me.  So delicious, and she doesn't even like fish!  

You ready? I promise you this is super easy, very quick, and oh so yummy!

Rinse, and pat the filet dry with a couple of paper towels.  Lay it onto the baking sheet  (lined or not line with foil) and salt and pepper it.  Don't look at how old and used this baking sheet is. Hilariously, or I should say, conveniently, I even make this in the toaster oven. Doesn't get easier or faster than that.  You can use plain old great salt and pepper or you can jazz it up a bit with a seasoned salt like Jane's Krazy Mixed-up Seasoning or Cavender's is another favorite of mine.  Mrs. Dash also works well. Whatever trips your trigger. (Wait. Should I say "trigger". That would has gotten a negative attachment lately.)

The coating for your filet is a little mayo, a little onion salt, a lotta dill, along with some bread crumbs and shredded or grated Parmesan cheese.  Or, if you want to go by the original recipe Ann gave me, just slather on a little of your favorite Ranch Dressing or French Onion Dip. Anything with a little fat and a lotta taste in it.

Spoon your herbed mayo all over the top. It's going to be delicious!  Now all you do is bake it for about 20 minutes, steam some broccoli while you wait, and you have a lovely dinner, all by with your own self, which really beats the nutritional hell out of the buttered popcorn and toast with jam I can be bad about eating when I'm alone.

 

Herbed Tilapia for One

Recipe by Glenna Anderson Muse

Adapted from Recipe by Ann Schultz

Serves 1

Prep: 5 min

Cook: 20-25 min.

Ingredients:

4 oz Tilapia filet (also works great on other firm white fish filets)

S alt/Pepper (or seasoning salt of choice such as Cavender's, Jane's Crazy Salt, or Mrs. Dash)

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp dill

1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated

2 tsp bread crumbs

Directions:

1) Rinse filet and pat it dry.  Place on baking sheet. Salt and pepper both sides.

2) Mix together rest of ingredients in small bowl.  Spoon over filet.

3) Bake at 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until mixture on top is nicely browned and fish is flaky.  Serve immediately.