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Friday, February 14, 2014

Magazine Challenge: Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia with Salsa

So.
You know how I said I was going to continue with the Magazine Challenge this year?  That I'd marked the recipes and was ready to go?  Yeah, that.  It's February, and I just made my first recipe from the January/February 2006 issue.
When going through the magazine, there were a lot of good looking desserts.  J keeps reminding me, however, that I can't just serve him dessert as a meal.  A tempting idea, but no go.  So this past weekend, I sat down and had another look through the issue for some entree-type things that we might eat.
A while ago, I promised J that I would start cooking more fish.  While he's a big seafood fan, I'm not nearly so much.  Tilapia is a fish that I'm willing to eat because it doesn't taste like much of anything.  When I unwrapped it tonight, it didn't even smell like fish (I buy my fish from the fresh counter and use it usually within 24 hours to help with the smell aspect).
There are a lot of things going for this recipe.  It's easy.  It's quick.  It uses salsa.  I went from start to eating in 20 minutes.  On a weeknight, that's all good.
I present to you now from the Jan/Feb 2006 Everyday Food issue Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia with Salsa:


Ingredients:
1/4 c cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
2 skinless tilapia fillets
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 c prepared salsa

Method:
1.  In a shallow bowl, stir together cornmeal, salt and chili powder.  Heat oil in a skillet.
2.  Separate fillets into thin and thick side.  Dredge in cornmeal mixture and fry until golden and firm.  Serve with prepared salsa.
From Everyday Food, Jan/Feb 2006

The fillets are thin, so they cook fast.  I liked the crunch of the coating.  I used tongs to turn the pieces, and they worked pretty well.  But I found I scraped off a bit of the coating.  I would also like to add a little more spice to the coating next time.  Tilapia is a blank canvas for flavours.
But the salsa brightened everything up.  Here's the plate, still waiting for the vegetables to come out of the microwave.  Quick and easy!

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