1 Fish, 2 Fish

Suppers have been kind of fishy around here this weekend. I didn't really plan to have these two fish dishes back to back; it just ended up that way.

The first recipe is for Pan-Fried Tilapia with Lemon-Caper Cream Sauce. Tilapia is a very mild white fish that doesn't taste "fishy" at all. Unfortunately, the creamy sauce negates any low-cal benefit of eating fish. Side dishes of creamy pasta salad, salad with homemade ranch dressing and black-cherry cake probably didn't help, either. !

The second recipe is for Fish Tacos. If you've never had these, you might be surprised at how good they are. There are at least two ways to make them. The first is to marinade and saute chunks of white fish seasoned white fish with Mexican spices, then put the fish mixture in a taco shell and top with shredded cabbage, salsa, etc. This is what I expected to be served the first time I ordered fish tacos. Instead, I was served tacos made from strips of battered and fried white fish that were topped with lettuce, tomato, salsa, and sour cream. This is the type of tacos we had today. We enjoyed Mexican rice and stewed pinto beans as side dishes.

(BTW, I tried baking the taco shells using fresh corn tortillas draped over a special pan. They turned out tough and chewy instead of crispy, so I won't be doing that again.)


Pan-Fried Tilapia With Lemon-Caper Cream Sauce



1/4 cup butter
2 T. flour
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 T. lemon juice
2 T. drained capers
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk or light cream
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
2 large or 4 small tilapia fillets, thawed if frozen

Combine butter, 2 T. flour, chicken broth, lemon juice and capers in a small saucepan. Whisk over medium heat until smooth and thick. Gradually add enough milk or cream to bring mixture to desired sauce consistency, whisking until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Combine 1/4 cup flour with the salt and pepper; dredge fish fillets in flour mixture. Cook fillets in hot oil for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fish is golden brown and flakes easily with a fork. Remove to serving platter and pour caper sauce over fillets.

Serves 2.



Fish Tacos



1 large tilapia (or other white fish) fillet per person being served*
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 cup beer or water
2-3 warmed crisp taco shells for each person being served
taco toppings of your choice (shredded lettuce, salsa, sour cream, olives, onions, tomatoes, etc.)


Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375°. Pat fish fillets dry with paper towels. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).

Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. When just cool enough to handle, cut into strips.

Place fish strips in taco shells and top with your choice of toppings.



*Servings vary according to how much fish is prepared. One large fillet, battered and fried, will make 2-3 tacos.