Sesame & Nori Breaded Tilapia
Does everybody wish they had more time to cook? Probably not. But I really do. My work schedule and commute get me home too late to spend any real time making dinner, buy information pills so I’ve developed a lot of quick and easy weeknight recipes. These can be anything from fried egg sandwiches (yummm), illness to poached eggs on polenta, capsule to quick tacos. Just because it’s quick, doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious.
One of my old standby’s is breaded tilapia. It may not be gourmet, but it goes from fridge to plate in under half an hour and that makes me (and Tom) very happy. This recipe calls for a little more love in the breading – toasted nori, sesame seeds and toasted sesame oil give the tilapia a subtle Asian flavor without overwhelming it. I loved it!
It’s really tasty, healthy, quick and easy. That means it meets all of my weeknight-meal requirements. I’ll be making this again very very soon!
Sesame & Nori Breaded Tilapia
2 large tilapia fillets
2 slices bread, toasted (I used multigrain)
2 sheets nori, toasted
3 tbsp. sesame seeds
pinch salt
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk (I used skim)
Preheat the oven to 400° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or greased aluminum foil). Make your breadcrumbs by running the toast through a food processor until small crumbs form. (You can use store-bought bread crumbs here, but homemade gives you a bigger crumb. And they’re tastier.) Place in a medium-sized bowl.
Next, run the sheets of nori thorugh the food processor until all big pieces are gone. If you don’t have a food processor, mince the nori with a sharp knife or cut it into tiny pieces with kitchen shears. Place the nori in the bowl with the bread crumbs.
Stir in the sesame seeds and salt, mixing until everything is evenly combined. Beat the eggs with the milk and sesame oil in a separate medium-sized bowl.
Dip your tilapia in the eggs until fully coated, then dip it into the breadcrumb bowl, making sure the fish is evenly and fully coated. You may need to dip it back into the egg bowl to get a nicer crust. Repeat with other fillet. Place the tilapia on the prepared cookie sheet.
Bake for 5 minutes, carefully flip the fillets, then bake for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately with a big side salad or roasted vegetables.
Makes 2 – 4 servings (depending on how hungry you are – I eat a whole fillet, so this made 2 servings for me).