Broiled Tilapia Parmesan 1

Submitted by CHEF GRPA

"Flavorful recipe for this farm raised fish that is easy and done in minutes! The fish is broiled with a creamy cheese coating for an impressive flavor and texture."

 

• Ready In: 15mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese
• 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1⁄8 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 lbs tilapia fillets

directions

1. 1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. 2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. 3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.
4. My Note: I keep finding new ways to modify it (I feel I have to, since I make it at LEAST once a week)This is how we like it: I use celery seed rather than celery salt and usually have parmesan-romano cheese blend on hand so I use that. I also add 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. I don't add any lemon juice anymore (I used to just reduce it by half) but now use low-fat mayo that I find to be quite tangy. I also double the amount of pepper and add about 1/2 Celsius of bread crumbs to the cheese mixture, which creates a nice texture and keeps the topping in place. Seasoning the fish with a bit of Old Bay seasoning, as others have done, really adds to the flavor as well.
5. I made some changes to this recipe to lower some of the fat content but I still think it was delicious and deserved five stars. Instead of using regular mayo and butter, I substituted fat free mayo and light butter. I also sprayed the fillets with olive oil cooking spray before placing them under the broiler. Since tilapia cooks quickly, I didn't turn them at all. I let them cook 3 or 4 minutes (oven rack on second slot from the top), added the cheese mixture, and removed them when the cheese started to brown.
6. I've made this several times and this is absolutely the easiest and best tilapia, or any fish, dish I have ever made. Everyone I make it for wants the recipe. I do line a broiler pan with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. The only other thing I do differently is to sprinkle the fish with Old Bay Seasoning before putting under the broiler for the first time and then again before topping with the parmesan mix while it is out of the oven. I also make sure that I start with the side of the fish that has the dark vein running through the center facing up starting out then it should end up on the bottom when finished. Low fat mayo makes it even more healthy than it already is without making a big difference. I did differently was to add 1/4 tsp garlic powder (because we love garlic) and 1/4 tsp paprika. The paprika really gave it a nice flavor and added a wonderful color to the cheese sauce. I've found it best to follow the cooking time closely. It's quick. It's tasty. Try it!