Peanut Crusted Tilapea

We've had this meal twice, and it is one of our favorite ways to have fish now! I looked online to get some ideas, but in the end kind of made the recipe up myself.

First, I chopped up about 1/2 cup or so of peanuts. I used my Pampered Chef slap/chop type thing. Then I set up my station:

• A plate of flour with some pepper and a dash of salt
• A beaten egg in a bowl
• Plate of chopped nuts
• Cast iron skillet with some olive oil

 Pat the fish dry with a paper towel, cover in the flour mixture, dredge in egg, then coat with nuts. Here's what it looks like:

It browns up nicely...

We paired it with a nice salad and some roasted potatoes this night.

Also, I whipped up a peanut sauce to go on the fish. Again, I looked online to get some ideas for the recipe, but in the end just made it up based on taste. The basic ingredients were:

• peanut butter (about 1/2 cup)
• soy sauce (a few T.)
• lemon juice (1-2 T.)
• milk (1-2 T)
• ginger, garlic, salt, pepper (to taste)
• Cholula (for a little extra kick)

I might have also added a little rice wine vinegar, I can't remember now. Basically, just play with it until it tastes the way you want!

Balsamic tilapia with spinach pesto potatoes

These recipes look super fancy and difficult, but they were actually really simple and easy to pull off! I think they're great for a night when you want a little fancier dinner, but don't feel like standing in the kitchen for hours to get it!

First, the potatoes. This recipe is straight from Joy the Baker, one of the recipe blogs I like to read. I cut it in half since there's only two of us:

• 2 russet potatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat over to 425. Thinly slice garlic cloves. Scrub potatoes well, and slice a small layer off the bottom to give it a base. Cut thin rounds in the potatoes, but don't slice all the way through the potato. Place slices of garlic in between every other slice, like this:

The slices kind of like to stick together, but if you get a knife in between that helps spread them apart. Place the potatoes on a baking sheet, cover with a pat of butter and drizzle of oil. Bake for 1 hour, basting with the melted butter every 15 minutes - this will make the potatoes nice and crispy!

For the spinach pesto:

• 2 loosely packed cups of spinach
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cups roasted cashews (I used pecans and toasted them until fragrant)
  
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup olive oil

Blend everything but the olive oil in a food processor until finely chopped. Slowly add oil while pulsing. Make sure to taste for the seasonings!

Yum!

The original recipe for the balsamic tilapia was courtesy Rachael Ray - the tilapia was salted, peppered, and lightly dusted with flour. I sauteed it for about 4 minutes on each side. After removing the fish, lower heat to medium and add 3 Tbsp. butter. Allow the butter to brown (about 3 minutes) then add 1/4 C. balsamic vinegar. Simmer 1 to 2 minutes and allow mixture to reduce by half.


The sauce gets nice and thick and sweet-smelling! Just pour some over the fish.

When the potatoes are done they look like this:


See how the sections separate? So pretty!!


The finished product was super yummy, and really light and fresh-tasting. I still have some leftover pesto, I'll probably put over pasta or chicken.

Side note - there is a bit of butter/oil in these recipes, but I think they could be pretty easily substituted with margarine or olive oil, if you want.

Don't be afraid to try these, even though they look kind of complicated. They were actually quite simple, but they look really impressive on the plate! Enjoy!