Mustard Encrusted Tilapia

In the mood for fish for dinner?  Let's count the many ways we could cook it - sear it, grill it, bag and steam it, roast it - been there, done that...bored of it all.  Just like the last posting, I again found myself bored with the same old recipes and cooking methods. To try and spice it up a bit I set out on a fish adventure and the recipe that follows is what came of this journey.

I actually got the inspiration for this dish from the show Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network.  Ina Garten uses slightly different ingredients, but I have a feeling my version would come in as a strong contender in a food battle.  Ina uses whole grain mustard as opposed to my spicy brown mustard, but when all I had was the latter, this recipe started to take on a life all its own. In addition to the mustard change out, I substituted mayonaise for her creme fraiche, and added dill, salt and pepper instead of shallots and capers (Erik dislikes capers). After all that, what started off as another copy cat drill ended up becoming a creation all my own!

Now I know that mustard encrusted fish - or mustard encrusted anything for that matter - just sounds downright weird; but it’s the quick broil at the end of the cooking process that makes the topping fabulously crunchy with a delicious hint of dill.  Even for mustard haters (Erik is one of them too, do we see a trend here?), this dish does NOT scream mustard in your mouth...it's so mild and compliments the texture of a fish filet perfectly. Erik loves this dish!  I dare you to try it.

I recommend serving this dish with ginger infused jasmine rice and steamed edamame. You could also substitute the tilapia with mahi mahi...or any other mild white fish that's on sale that day (Ina used Red Snapper).

Time from Prep to Eating: 15 minutes

What You Need:
A small mixing bowl, 8”x8” baking dish

The Stuff:
2 Tilapia filets
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 ¼ Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried dill
Unseasoned bread crumbs (or panko)

Here’s What You Do:
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Mix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper and dill in the mixing bowl until well combined. Spray your baking dish with nonstick spray and place filets in the dish. Spread the sauce evenly on each filet, and then sprinkle with bread crumbs to coat.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, then broil for 3 minutes.