Pecan Crusted Tilapia

Don't I sound fancy?

Well, I can't take all the credit for this idea. I must give props to Bob, the fish guy at Eddie's in Towson. While I waited for my lunch order, I wandered over to the fish counter and noticed some recipe cards laying about. I didn't see anything for tilapia, so I asked the guy behind the counter. My new friend, Bob, suggested that I try rolling it around in crushed pecans and baking it at mumblemumblemumble... Then my deli number was called, and off I went.

So here I was, with a great sounding recipe, and no details. What's a girl to do but google? And I came up with this delicious concoction that is a total winner. I threw in some nice roasted brussel sprouts as a side, and it didn't take all that long to put everything together.

The pecan crust gives a nice sweet and tangy flavor to the fish, while the milk coating helps keep it from drying out. The original recipe said to pan-fry the fish, which I did to get some color, but I finished the fillets in the oven. Thanks, Bob!

Ingredients (serves 4):

adapted from my new friend, Bob, and myrecipes.com

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 TBS finely chopped pecans

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup buttermilk (or make your own)

1 tsp hot sauce

3 TBS flour

4 tilapia fillets

1 TBS vegetable oil

lemon wedges, optional for serving

Instructions:

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a shallow dish and set aside. Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a medium bowl, and then pour flour into another shallow dish. Set up your "dipping" stations in a line - flour, milk, crumbs - to make dredging easier. Dredge one fillet at a time, into the flour, then dip in buttermilk and press into crumbs.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, over medium-high heat, and cook 2 fillets at a time. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with lemon wedge, if you would like.