Dinner With Mom & Dad

Well, Mom & Dad are in town for a few days, so--naturally--I have to whip up something special in the kitchen. Mom isn't much of a fish eater, but you just can't go wrong with tilapia. It's special in that's it is a relatively "bland" tasting fish...but it takes on the flavor of what you serve it with. Just a dash or pinch of a spice or two, or any special seasoning, goes a long way with flavoring tilapia, transitioning it from an ordinary fish to a flavor-packed dish. Not to mention it is a very INEXPENSIVE fish to buy fresh! I like to buy mine from Whole Foods to cook it the same day, but otherwise I find good deals at Costco then divide it up and freeze it for later use.

On tonight's menu we have Rachael Ray's "slaw salad," and the main course is Brown Butter-Sauteed Tilapia with Pistachios from FoodNetwork.com. They are both super-easy dishes to create, and I like that they combine so many different flavors...it's a guaranteed party in your mouth!

The slaw salad features red cabbage and fennel (the bulb has a licorice taste) tossed in an equal-part honey-vinegar dressing with grill seasoning (yup...grill seasoning), poppy seeds, and toasted sesame seeds. (The toasting of the sesame seeds is important. If you don't buy them already toasted, be sure to do so before stirring them into the dressing; it adds a more nutty flavor.) The fern-like foliage, or top, of the fennel bulb is edible, so chop and add that along with the actual bulb and red cabbage. Save some of the fennel tops, too, to use in your final presentation of the dishes.

While my dinner "guests" ate their slaw salads, I was busy in the kitchen putting on a show preparing the main course. Tilapia is so quick and easy to cook, and the total time to prepare (prep and cook) was about 15 minutes. Now I have to mention, we have a pantry full of "North Carolina Pecans" straight from the pecan tree in Mom & Dad's back yard. So instead of buying pistachios (which can sometimes be a bit expensive), I decided to crush some pecans and roast them in some melted butter to serve in place of the pistachios. It was a delicious substitute, if I do say so myself!

You can see I used some of the reserved fennel tops to garnish each plate, and added a thinly-sliced lemon on top of each tilapia fillet. Serve it with a side of wild rice and you have a restaurant-quality meal in less than 30 minutes! And a four-serving dinner for roughly the price of one equivalent serving at any local restaurant. So if you're looking for something quick, easy, and deeee-lish, make it tilapia tonight!