Tilapia is one of my favorite types of fish because it is so mild and can be prepared in so many different ways. We use it from everything from seasoned filets to fish tacos. Tilapia with almond butter is one of my favorite easy weeknight dishes. It is so fast and easy to make and I haven’t met anyone (even people who normally don’t like fish) who won’t eat this tasty dinner. You can change up the taste of this dish for some variety by adjusting the seasonings and using different  nuts for an entirely new flavor.

Frozen tilapia can be found at most grocery stores (my favorite brand is sold at Costco) and stores well for several months. Tilapia can be quickly thawed by putting it under running water for several minutes so start to finish, this meal can be done in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients

• Tilapia
• Butter
• Flour
• Slivered almonds (try the bulk foods section for a great deal on slivered almonds)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil

Preparation

Sprinkle the tilapia fillet liberally with salt and pepper. If you want to add any additional spices, this is the time to do it.  Salt really brings out the flavor in this dish so don’t skimp unless you add additional seasoning.

Scoop a thick layer of flour onto a cutting board or plate. You can substitute wheat flour here for a healthier option, although I find that I use so little flour in this recipe that it doesn’t make too much of a difference. Lay the salt and peppered tilapia on the flour and then flip to coat. Don’t worry about having a thick layer of flour. You just want to provide a surface to brown during cooking.

Fill a frying pan with a thin layer of olive oil and heat to medium-high heat. Gently add the tilapia to the frying pan. Tilapia is a very firm fish before it is cooked so it’s easy to work with.

Allow the tilapia to cook undisturbed for at least 3 minutes. This step can be difficult for most busy moms. I like to pick at things while I cook to hurry them along or I get distracted while not disturbing something and end up burning it. Enjoy the quiet time for a minute. Watch the fish fry. It’s actually not as tedious as watching water boil. When the flour has lightly browned, flip the tilapia and cook the other side for about 3 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.

When the tilapia is fully cooked, remove it from the pan. I like to cover it with a piece of foil to keep it warm while I finish the rest of the meal. Add 2 tablespoons of butter, or more if you like butter. I like butter. When the butter has melted, add a small handful of slivered almonds to the pan to toast. I don’t measure this. I generally just try and have a enough of the butter sauce to cover the number of tilapia fillets I have cooked.

Pour the toasted almonds and butter over the cooked tilapia fillets and serve. This goes with pretty much any side dish. We often serve it with rice and veggies. We recently joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) so we decided to use up some of our tasty veggies and try something new by making mashed turnips with garlic. They were surprisingly good and all my kids ate them. Anything goes. Leftovers make amazing fish tacos.