Pan-Fried Tilapia, Roasted Flower-Pepper Asparagus, & Soy-Teriyaki Dipping Sauce
A savoury, not-too-difficult dinner perfect for a romantic evening with your significant other ooorrr for Me, Myself, and Netflix (which may or may not be how I enjoyed it.) And trust me, if it seems like a lot of work in words, it's not nearly as much as it seems and your taste buddies will thank you. I also had a cup of miso soup with my meal, but it was an instant packet, sadly)
2 tilapia fillets (I used frozen, though I'm sure the fresher the better)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt, pepper to season
Bundle of asparagus spears
2 tbsp olive oil
Flower-pepper (I use Trader Joes brand)
1/4 cup Teriyaki sauce
2tbsp soy sauce
Roasted Asparagus Spears
Preheat oven to 420 degrees
Line an oven tray with foil and coat with olive oil
Arrange aparagus spears in whatever creative pattern your heart desires
Drizzle olive oil across the asparagus
Season with Flower Pepper (this gives the spicy peppercorn flavour with a hint of freshness from lavender and rose petals to match the fruitiness of the olive oil, all atop your heart-friendly asparagus. [Clearly I really like Flower Pepper])
Cover tightly with foil
Bake in oven. (if I were to guestimate a time duration I would say twenty minutes, but I usually just plop my veggies in the oven to roast while I cook the rest of my meal and they are almost always done when the rest of the food is.)
Prepare your fish
Cut fillets into appx. 2" by 4" pieces (finger food sizes)
(After washing hands) Add flour to a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle in salt and pepper to season and mix with a fork.
Crack eggs into a seperate but similar sized bowl and wisk to scramble.
Take each fillet portion and submerge in egg, coating the entire piece.
Move egg-coated fish to flour bowl and coat each side with flour. Repeat the egg and flour coating process once more for a thicker batter on the fish.
Frying the Tilapia
Add vegetable oil to skillet (depeding on your skillet size varies the amount you might need, basically a 1/4"-1/2" deep of oil is plenty.)
Turn burner on to medium-high heat, allowing the oil to gradually heat up using caution.
After about two minutes place a 'test fish' into the skillet using tongs. If the oil sizzles but doesn't spray you, you're set to fry. (If nothing happens, your oil probably isn't hot enough and just allow it to heat a bit longer; you can leave the fish in the pan.) (If when adding the fish the oil spurts out explosively like Mt. Vecuvious, your oil is too hot* and turn your burner down immediately.
*Why over heating vegetable oils are dangerous for our health.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1035047/Jane-Clarke-Overheating-oil-harms-heart.html
When oil is ready add three-four pieces at a time and allow to cook three minutes on each side or until golden brown crust forms.
Remove fish from pan and allow to dry on a rack above paper towel or your oil-absorbant substance of choice.
Dip, Dip, Hooray!
Mix teriyaki and soy sauce in small bowl or mug.
Dip fish in sauce, nom, smile.
