Blackened Tilapia Fillets and Summer Squash....

Tonights dinner was delicious! I feel so proud when one of my meals comes out the way it was intended to! Light, flaky, buttery and so savory-that is exactly how my baked blackened Tilapia came out tonight! And my summer squash...almost as delicious as the fish! Really the main reason I'm so excited about tonights dinner is because it was also soooo EASY! I will tell you what I did. First I started with frozen Tilapia fillets. I drizzle EVOO over a 9x13 baking pan and about 3 Tbsp. of melted butter (never margarine). I layed the fish into the pan, brushed the fish with remaining melted butter then seasoned. I used Blackened seasoning (out of the bottle), garlic powder, sea salt and black pepper (made by McCormick). I actually just seasoned the top of the fish pretty generously- I usually eyeball the amount. If you want measurements, I would say about a half teaspoon of everything but the salt. I probably used about 3/4 tsp. of salt on 3-4 fillets- sprinkled evenly. I put the oven on at 350 degrees and baked for 25 minutes! From frozen to cook in under 25 minutes! Now that was awesome! The fish was so perfect, still moist, flaky tender and seasoned so yummy! For me, fish is a finicky food to cook. If it's over cooked- it's dry, if it's under cooked-it's kinda just yucky....But when it's cooked perfectly...It's Delicious! You will know when your fish is done by using your fork to see if it flakes easily. Now, the summer squash was simpler than the fish! I drizzled EVOO into my saute pan over medium heat, sliced my yellow summer squash into large bite size bites, through them into my pan and seasoned them with sea salt, seasoned black pepper, garlic powder and 1/2 of a small red onion, sliced. I sauteed them over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. That was it!! And it was delicious too! Tender yet still a little crisp to them, and almost a sweet and buttery flavor came out!
Well, I hope this inspires you to try cooking with your favorite fish and using maybe some different seasonings than you usually would- you won't be sorry! IF you're still not sure- ASK me - I will help you through it!
Till another great meal,
Wendy Russell
Down Home Cooking Girl