I received an email asking how to cook fish.  Until about 5 years ago, I rarely cooked fish because I never got it right.  It was always dry and/or tasteless.  My momma showed me how to broil it and suddenly the mystery was gone.  Now we eat fish at least once a week.  Our Sam’s Club sells nice tilapia fillets (not frozen – in the fresh meat and cheese section) and we bring them home and put meal portions and freeze them.  If you are already a fish cook at home, you can skip this but here are 2 simple ways to make fish at home.  And just an FYI for those who don’t know what to buy – tilapia is a mild and relatively inexpensive fish to try.

Broiled Tilapia (works with any white fish)

Make sure your fillets are defrosted and dry.  Start your broiler.  Cover a baking sheet with foil and put the fillets on it.  Drizzle the fillets with a little olive oil – you can also squirt some lemon juice on it if you like.  Sprinkle a rub or herb mixture that you enjoy (we use the rub from the ribs because we like the sweet heat – but use sparingly because it is potent) over the fish and pop under the broiler.  I usually let it go for 6 minutes and then check it.  If you can easily break it apart (flake it) with your fork, it is done.  If you can’t easily break it apart, stick it back under for another minute or 2.

Lightly breaded, pan cooked tilapia

Put some bread crumbs on a plate.  They can be plain or seasoned.  (I used plain.)  Add a few shakes of oregano.  I also added a little bit of ground chipolte pepper because we like thing with a kick around Casa de Smiles – but you can leave that out.  Mix the herb into your bread crumbs.

Pour a little bit of olive oil in your palm.  Rub it all over both sides of your fillet.  Then put your fillet in the bread crumbs and flip so that both sides have a light coating of bread crumbs.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil on medium-medhigh (my stove dial runs 1-10, I use 5.5 or 6).  Make sure it is hot before you put your fish in it or the bread crumbs will just suck up all of the oil instead of starting to cook.  Then put your fillets in.  I cook them for 3-4 min on each side – you only want to flip them once.  Give them a squirt of lemon when you put them on the plate. I just started making them this way and my husband has declared he likes them this way a little bit more than broiled.  I like them both ways – but either way is a good way to start cooking fish at home for your family.