Creamy Tilapia
When I was just married to my husband I was on the hunt for the perfect fish recipe. I had never cooked fish by myself before (unless canned tuna counts haha). I needed it to be simple but delicious. I came across a recipe similar to this one, and gave it a try. It had 3 ingredients and looked good. It WAS good, but not like goooooood. It was missing flavors. It was definitely a good starting point. So for the next several months I rotated fish in to the menu more often and tried different spices and onion and garlic. They all tasted fine, but when I tried the Trader Joes Onion Salt...... I tell you.... it was PERFECT! The perfect amount of green onion and salt. Not over powering, yet the flavor was perfectly present. I did it! *sigh* I did it. Before we dive all the way in, here's a list of what you will need to make this dish an absolute success:
There are a few key things to always make sure you include in this dish. The first item is SHREDDED parmesan cheese. Not the kind you shake from the shaker on your spaghetti, shredded. Bonus if you freshly shred it from the block. It just adds an elegant depth of flavor. Other onion salts taste amazing, but its the one from Trader Joes that really brings everything together.
The brand of mayo doesn't matter for this recipe (IMO, but I know there are very different opinions on that 😆). I definitely have opinions on mayo when it comes to sandwiches, potato salad, chicken salad, etc. You will NEVER find me using miracle whip. That is a promise 😂. I don't add the pepper in the mixture. I don't like a strong black pepper flavor with this particular dish, so I just sprinkle a little bit after I have plated my food. Black pepper can quickly and easily overtake fish, especially mild fish. There are some fish recipes that use stronger tasting fish, which is where you definitely want a stronger black pepper taste, this dish is not one of those. Remember, when it comes to seasoning, you can always add more, so start small when seasoning things to taste!
SUGGESTED SIDES:
- I love this fish with steamed veggies! It's a beautiful pair!
- Salad- Cesar or garden salad or a salad with a nice savory vinaigrette.
- Long grain wild rice is always amazing with fish. This dish is no exception!
- Mix white rice with some steamed veggies and a squeeze of lemon.
- Oven roasted potatoes.
- Baked sweet potato.
- Sweet corn or corn on the cob
- Tilapia can be swapped for Halibut.
- Half a lemon can be substituted with lemon concentrate (just a good squeeze is enough)
- Do not substitute margarine for butter.
- Parmesan cheese in this recipe doesn't really sub well with other cheeses. If you ever find a good alternative, let me know! I would love to have a back up item!
- The secret ingredient, Trader Joes Onion Salt, can be substituted with chives & onion salt or onion salt & parsley.
- Black pepper is optional.
- I suppose mayo could be swapped for miracle whip, HOWEVER, it would add a sweet, zesty flavor. With the seasoning and lemon, using miracle whip would make it too sweet and tangy. Mayo really helps balance out the sweet and savory.
