Recipe Review: Panko-Crusted Tilapia from Lacey at “A Sweet Pea Chef”

Fish does not appear regularly on my dinner table. It’s because I have a real distaste for anything that smells or tastes fishy. I’m not a picky eater, but I am really picky about fish. But then I found this recipe on the A Sweet Pea Chef blog, and I knew I was going to try it. This one intrigued me. Here’s the breakdown: tilapia fillets dipped in a combination of melted butter, garlic powder and fresh-squeezed lemon juice, then dredged in panko bread crumbs seasoned with dry mustard, nutmeg, ginger, pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes and paprika and browned in olive oil in a skillet with sliced lemons, and finished in a hot oven. Trust me, this fish does not smell fishy. It smells like heaven. The combination of lemon, olive oil, ginger, panko and spices creates magic in a pan. And the best part is that it tastes as amazing as it smells.

Here’s what I loved about this recipe:
1. It is really easy to make
2. I had most of the ingredients in my pantry
3. It doesn’t take long to make; from start to finish was 30 minutes
4. I loved the combination of spices in the panko mix – things like dry mustard, nutmeg, ginger, red pepper flakes and more. I was expecting this to be flavorful, but it was more than that. It was extraordinary. There is so much flavor in this dish, it jumps off the plate. And the roasted lemons knocked my socks off.

The Complete Package is not one to dance around a food critique. He does a great job of giving me his honest opinion when I try something new. When he tried this dish, he immediately said, “Wow. Everything about this is perfect.” I didn’t even have to ask my standard new recipe question – would you eat this again? The answer is a definite, enthusiastic YES! Everything about this dish is perfect. And we will be making it again and again. Thanks, Lacey. This one is a keeper. No, a treasure. You can find the recipe and Lacey’s beautiful photos at http://www.asweetpeachef.com/entrees/panko-crusted-tilapia.