Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

Can anyone tell me where the sun has gone?  It has been raining since I woke up and I don't think it is going to be stopping anytime soon.  It is just one of those days where the gloom has taken away all motivation and is making me want to do nothing more than sit my butt on my big comfy couch and not move all day long.

Oh, and eat a deliciously warm meal.

Now this fish is probably one of the easiest meals to make for dinner so I can't help but put it on top of my "lazy day" dinner list.  Perfect for tonight.  

Not only is it super quick, allowing myself to still technically be lazy, but it is SO yummy.  The Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs create a salty, crunchy crust around the steaming hot, moist tilapia- I am tellin ya, it is the perfect meal to warm anyone up on cold days like today.  

It is satisfying, yet light, which makes me feel even better about sitting around, doing absolutely nothing all day long. 

Ingredients:

4 tilapia fillets

1 1/2 cup flour

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

3 egg whites, whipped

1 cup breadcrumbs (I prefer Panko!)

1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Take out three separate bowls to dredge the fish.  In the first bowl add flour, salt, and pepper and mix.  In the second bowl add the egg whites and whip with a fork, making eggs frothy.  In the third bowl, add breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, mix.  Place a cookie cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet covered in tin foil at the end of the dredging station.  Spray cookie rack with non-stick cooking spray.

Take a tilapia fillet and cover in flour mixture.  Coat and shake off excess flour.

Next, place fillet in egg white mixture and dredge.  Finally put the fillet in the cheese and breadcrumb mixture and coat.  Place on cooling rack.

Repeat with rest of fillets.  Drizzle extra virgin olive oil on top of fish fillets so it breadcrumbs become crunchy in the oven.

Bake for 20 minutes, then turn broiler on high and broil until golden and crispy! Enjoy!

Tin-foil Grilled Tilapia

Okay so this by far is one of my favorite recipes ever ever ever. I'm serious, these little "packages of love" are aaaamazing and since summertime is just around the corner, that means the weather is nice enough to start up the grill and make this meal as much as I want. :)

Summertime to me is sitting out on my deck with the sun setting behind the pine trees, enjoying the sweet, warm air with my family and friends.  It is when the fireplace is going, music is playing, and there is that mouth-watering smell in the air of something delicious on the BBQ.   

This tilapia IS what you want on your BBQ on those summer nights.  It is so juicy and packed with so much flavor, that you will fall in love with it as much as I have. (Plus they are light and healthy too!)  By wrapping the fish and veggies in tinfoil, the fish cooks perfectly through and the vegetables carmalize oh so sweetly.  These little "presents"are super easy to make, super quick to cook, and absolutely perfect to enjoy on those nice summer evenings.

Ingredients:
4 tilapia fillets
3 small sweet yellow onions, sliced
1 bag baby carrots, halved lengthwise
1-2 bunches asparagus, par-cooked and chopped
2 TBS butter
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Direction:
Turn on grill.  Put asparagus in glass bowl with a small amount of water and cover it with a wet paper towel.  Microwave 4-5 minutes.  Cool.  Chop all vegetables, as seen above in picture.  Set aside.  Lay out four long pieces of aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Place a fish fillet on each piece of foil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Divide the veggies up evenly on top of the tilapia fillets.  Make sure to use all of the veggies- it may look like a lot, but believe me, you will want a lot! Sprinkle veggies with salt and pepper.  Cut up butter into tiny cubes or slices and place sporadically on the fish- divide the butter up evenly, about each fish getting 1/2 TBS worth.  (Look closely at pictures, you will see the butter on top of the veggies!)

To make package: fold long side of aluminum foil in, first.

Next, fold in one side of the foil then the next, wrapping fish in tightly.  Make sure there are no openings in the foil.  Fish and veggies should NOT be showing- this way the fish cooks and the juice stays inside the package.  Do this for each package.

Place fish packages on grill.  Grill package for 7-10 minutes, then flip and cook for another 7-10 minutes.  Once done, carefully open up your tiny package of deliciousness, and ENJOY! xx