Alex Daynes

Lemon Pepper Tilapia

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If you know me, you know that I am not a big fan of fish. The only fish that I like is deep fried or parmesan crusted. I like to mask the fishy flavor as much as possible. I have found over the years that if white fish is prepared right, it is actually pretty good. It isn’t as fishy tasting and something like salmon is. Tilapia is now one of my favorites!

Tilapia is great because it is a white fish. It is light, flaky and it really takes on the flavor of anything you want it to. Tilapia is a low fat, high protein food. It contains a significant amount of vitamins and minerals such as proteins, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin B-6 and B-12. Eating protein rich foods help to keep you feeling full and satisfied longer. It is the difference between eating nutrient dense foods and energy dense foods. It is a great healthy option to add to your weekly dinner menu. 

This time, I prepared my Tilapia with Lemon Pepper, Parsley, Olive Oil, and Lemon Juice. The best way to purchase fish, is to get it fresh if available. Being in a land locked state like Utah, fresh fish is usually pretty expensive. The most accessible way to get fish is buying it frozen. I bought mine in the frozen section.

At a recent Pinners Conference, one of the presenters taught me that individually packed, sealed fish is the worst thing you can buy. The high intense heat they use to seal the packaging is what causes the fish to smell funny and taste fishier than usual. She advised to always buy it fresh from the man at the deli. She also advised that you should always ask them if you can smell it first. If it smells fishy then it is going to taste fishy. That really made sense to me and stuck with me. Afterwards, I looked up some helpful tips to make fish less fishy and I found that to help with the smell and taste of buying it frozen, a helpful tip is to rinse it before you cook it. Of course, this is only an issue if you aren’t a huge seafood fan like me. If you love seafood and the taste doesn’t bother you, cook it right up and don’t worry about it. If it does, my advice to you is buy it fresh if you can, rinse it if it’s frozen, and season it right to mask that fishiness taste. 

P.S. The salad in the graphics is one of my all time prepackaged salads from Costco. It is the Eat Smart Sweet Kale Salad Mix. You will find it in the produce. Love it!

Lemon Pepper Tilapia Recipe
2 Tilapia Fillets 
1 T olive oil 
1 T lemon pepper 
2 t parsley 
1 lemon, half sliced half juiced
1 cup brown rice
Start by preparing brown rice.
Preheat oven to 350.
Next, line a cookie sheet with tin foil.
Prepare the tilapia with olive oil, lemon pepper, and parsley.
Top each fillet with lemon wedges.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
When fished, squeeze the remaining lemon juice over the tilapia.