Baked Oatmeal-Crusted Tilapia with Lemon Mayonnaise

It is with a heavy heart and an empty stomach that I bring you this recipe. Dieting sucks.

But this was actually pretty good for a healthier meal. And my kids LOVED it surprisingly.

I served this with parmesan couscous and yellow squash and zucchini sauteed in a little olive oil and butter with garlic.


Baked Oatmeal-Crusted Tilapia with Lemon Mayonnaise

• 4 whole Tilapia Fillets (fresh Or Frozen)
• 2 cups Quick Oats
• ⅓ cups Bread Crumbs
• ⅓ cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Tablespoon Fresh Chives, Chopped
• 2 teaspoons Parsley
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 4 Tablespoons Low-fat Mayonnaise (you May Need A Little Extra If Your Fillets Are Bigger)
• ½ teaspoons Grated Lemon Rind
• ½ teaspoons Lemon Juice

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Defrost/rinse fish and pat dry. Place fish fillets on the baking sheet.

3. In a bowl, mix together oats, bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, chives, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, measure out the mayonnaise before adding lemon rind and juice. Stir.

4. Brush tops of fish with mayonnaise, then top with the dry coating. You may feel the desire to scrimp on the mayo or feel anxious about how the texture will bake. Don’t and don’t be! The mayo melds with the coating of dry materials and thickens, creating a creamy texture. It barely tastes of mayo. Don’t go overboard with the mayo, but don’t underestimate its role in the success of this dish. If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, I’ve read that sour cream and/or plain-flavored yogurt are excellent substitutions.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes when forked. Serve over the pasta of your choice or with vegetables.

Sunday Dinner - Salmon with Dill Cream Sauce

We had this for dinner tonight. Noone really appreciated this but me. It always makes me laugh when I'm the only one ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the food I make and everyone else's reaction is lackluster. I tried to explain that what made the dish was the creamy dill sauce, especially when it soaks into the rice, but they wouldn't listen.

My mom served asparagus a lot when I was a kid. I didn't like it then. I thought it sounded more like the name of a Sesame Street character than a vegetable. I also thought it's name made the vegetable sound rather unappealing. But I've changed my tune since then. I've blogged about this meal before, but this is a "do-over" because I made some changes to the dill cream sauce that I'm rather pleased with. And I'll never stop campaigning for more rice pudding-lovers. There just isn't enough of us out there.

Salmon. The way my Aunt Becky taught me. I am forever in her debt. This time I used the panini grill, per my Dad's suggestion, which I really liked, but Bobby prefers the broiler method, so the seasoning on the salmon gets kind of blackened.

Dill Cream Sauce

1 large garlic clove, smashed with 1 tsp kosher salt to make a paste
2 Tbs butter
1/2 cup white wine
3 Tbs chopped fresh dill, divided
1 cup creme fraiche (I didn't have enough time to make my own creme fraiche yesterday, but I wanted the tangy flavor, so I just mixed 2/3 cup whipping cream and 1/3 cup sour cream vigorously with a whisk- I'm sure the creme fraiche would have been better, but I was still very happy.
salt and pepper

(The original recipe called for 1 tsp Dijon style mustard. I left it out because I was afraid I wouldn't like it as much with as I did without.)

Serve salmon over white rice with dill cream sauce drizzled over the top.

Oh, and I almost forgot the asparagus! This is so easy and so good! I tossed the asparagus with lemon juice, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, and then I sprinkled it with fresh parmesan. I roasted it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.

And then, of course, the rice pudding. I got Sophie to eat one bite, but the rest will be for me. (Franny and Bobby aren't fans of the stuff. They are crazy!)

Fish Tacos with Lime Mayonnaise

I mentioned in this post that I wanted to try this mayonnaise on fish tacos. It was so good. It tasted better than I ever dreamed it could! I made the avocado salsa and served them with the lime mayo and cilantro on flour tortillas. I can't wait to make them again! (Another plus- this recipe is dairy-free and could easily be made gluten free by subbing rice flour and corn tortillas.)

BATTER FOR FRYING FISH

2 c. self-rising flour
8 tbsp. cold water or more, if needed
4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. oil
2 egg whites and 2 egg yolks
1 or more lbs. filleted fish
oil for frying

Soak fish for 25 minutes in salted water. Whisk 2 egg yolks and stir in flour, cold water, salt and oil. Mix all together. Beat 2 egg whites until stiff, fold into flour mixture. First dip fish into flour, then into batter, then into flour again and into batter again. Fry in oil until golden brown.

Sunday Dinner

We made a trip to Sam's Club last Saturday so I took advantage and picked up some fresh salmon and raspberries. (Sometimes fresh salmon costs as much as 10.99 here!) I almost always prepare salmon the same way. It's the way my aunt Becky taught me years ago. Bobby loves it so much that I think I'm afraid to try it another way! Over the years I've added a creamy dill sauce and this time I served it over herbed basmati rice. I served the green salad with the raspberries and some feta cheese with poppy seed dressing over the top. And the staple of most Sunday meals, homemade rolls of course. I'm obsessed!

Grilled or Broiled Salmon

Start with a salmon filet and brush melted butter over the top. Shake Morton's Nature's Seasonings and Lawry's Seasoning Salt liberally over the top. Broil or grill until salmon is flaking apart. (We like to broil it kind of close to the broiler so it gets a yummy blackened crust.)

Creamy Dill Sauce

4 fresh dill sprigs
2 T butter
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup cream
6 shallots
salt and pepper

Melt butter and saute minced shallots for a minute or two. Pour in wine and boil until reduced by half. Pour in cream; simmer until reduced. Add salt and pepper and dill.

Herbed Basmati Rice

1 cup uncooked white basmati rice
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs unsalted butter
2 Tbs minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs minced fresh dill
1 Tbs minced fresh scallions, white and green parts
pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Combine the rice, 1 3/4 cup water, the salt, and butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce the heat to low, stir once and simmer covered tightly for 15 minutes. (I actually just use my rice cooker.) Turn off the heat and allow the rice to sit covered for 5 miutes. Add the parsley, dill, scallions, and pepper. Fluff with a fork, and serve warm.