Earthly Eating

• Baked Tilapia with Brown Butter
Serves: 4

1 1/4 lb. tilapia filets
1 tbs. lemon juice1 tbs. unsalted butter
1 tbs. sliced almonds, toasted

Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat baking dish with canola or olive oil cooking spray. Season the tilapia with salt and pepper to your desired taste. Drizzle with lemon juice. Place in prepared baking dish. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until the fish fillets flake easily wit a fork or knife.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat until foamy and begins to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Strain butter into a small bowl. Drizzle butter over the fillets and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

• Coconut and Mango Encrusted Tilapia
Serves: 4

2 cups broken tortilla chips
1/3 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup diced dried tropical fruit bars
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tbs. finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tbs. minced red bell pepper
2 tbs. fresh lime juice
2 tbs. olive oil
1 lb. tilapia fillets or 4 (4 oz.) tilapia fillets, thawed if it is frozen

Preheat grill to medium-high diced heat (350°F to 400°F). In a blender or a food processor, blend tortilla chips, coconut, dried fruit, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt to taste to make fine crumbs. Place in a resalable plastic bag. Add cilantro and bell pepper, seal bag, and shake to blend.

Stir together lime juice and oil in shallow dish. Dip 1 fillet in lime juice mixture to coat. Transfer to crumb mixture in a plastic bag; seal the bag and coat the fillets. Press coating firmly onto fish. Repeat with reaming tilapia fillets. Place the fillets in a foil pan or on non-stick aluminum foil. Grill covered, 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork or a knife.

• Tilapia in Butter Sauce
Serves: 4

4 tbs. flour
1 1/2 tilapia fillets, about 1/2-inch thick
1 tbs. olive oil
6 tbs. butter, divided
Juice of 1 lemon
Minced fresh parsley (optional)

Season flour to taste with salt and pepper. Dredge fillets in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Heat the oil 2 tbs. of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add fillets without overlapping (cook ion 2 batches if needed).

Cook until golden on bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the fillets over and cook 1 to 2 minutes more or until opaque through thickest part.

Drain fillets on a paper towel; transfer to a platter and keep them warm. Add remaining 4 tbs. of butter to the skillet and heat until it is frothy. Add the lemon juice and lemon slices; swirl pan to heat through. Pour the butter sauce over the fillets immediately before serving. Sprinkle the tops with parsley if using.

The best restaurant to get awesome tilapia is at Blue Water Seafood in Houston, Texas. Characterized as a crab shack, Blue Water is pleasantly relaxed and as casual as they come. Folks often stop in to linger over fresh seafood, and they drive in especially for spicy (seasonal) crawfish. You’ll also discover garlicky Dungeness crabs, blue shell crabs, and delicious oysters, both raw and mesquite-roasted. And they’re known to tilapia lovers as the one and only place to get a perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned fillet of tilapia.

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Earthly Eating Recipe

Zucchini Appetizers
Makes: 4 dozen

Serve warm.

Happy Eating!