In Her Chucks

I went to the market today with my list in hand.  I was all ready to make Blood Orange Beef Stew with Butternut Squash for dinner.  But after walking up and down the aisles a few times I wasn’t able to find all the ingredients I needed for the recipe.  I could have gone to another store (which I quite often do when I grocery shop), but I wasn’t really in the mood to drive all around town.  So I came to realize that my beef stew wasn’t meant to be and that in fact this tilapia recipe was calling my name.

Citrus Crusted Tilapia

Ingredients

4 fresh tilapia filets

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

1/4 whole wheat flour

1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs

the zest of 2 blood oranges, 1 lime and 1 lemon

pinch of salt

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Lina a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place a wire rack on top, and spray the wire rack with non-stick spray.  In a large bowl, add bread crumbs, flour, citrus zest and pinch of salt.  In another bowl, lightly beat egg whites.

Season each piece of tilapia with salt and pepper.  Dip each piece of tilapia in beaten egg whites, then coat with citrus breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere.  Place on a wire rack and spray lightly with non-stick spray.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until breadcrumbs are golden.

Blood Orange Salsa

Ingredients

2 blood oranges, peeled, segmented and chopped

1 mandarin, peeled, segmented and chopped

2 tablespoons diced red onion

1/2 jalapeño diced

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

pinch of salt

Preparation

Combine all ingredients together and mix.  Let sit for 30 minutes so the flavors marry.

Tilapia recipe from How Sweet It Is, Salsa recipe slightly adapted from Perry’s Plate via How Sweet It Is

This is the first time I have ever breaded fish and baked it in the oven (guess I have been living under a rock…).  It came out crispy and moist.  Plus, there was virtually no clean up (which always makes my husband happy since his chore is to wash the dishes…I cook, he cleans).

I served the fish with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice (recipe to come tomorrow) and some roasted asparagus.  This dish reminded me a lot of my Halibut with Oranges with a twist.  There’s something about the marriage of fish and citrus that truly is a match made in foodie heaven.

After indulging in my meal and enjoying every bite, I feel guilty that I ever rated this option second best.  This was a super-duper home run.  Not only were the flavors explosive, but this recipe is healthy, light and easy to make.  It’s meals like this that make my fancy pants dance!