Pan Seared Tilapia

I have made a complete 360 when it comes to trying new things since being Gluten Free and the biggest thing I have made a complete change on is FISH!  My husband and my family can vouch for me on this because up until I was forced to eat it at one of my favorite restaurants I would still hate fish.  The smell of it has always been an issue for me, I could never get passed the "fishy" smell and it still bothers me on catfish, doubt I'll ever eat catfish but you never know.  

When finding out you are no longer able to eat all of your rich, heavy and oh so delicious foods you are introduced to a new menu when eating out.  Some of your favorites might still be on them but let's face it, most of them are off limits!  Yeah I know it's terrible and you spend longer looking over the menu and getting upset.  Possibly feel the urge to cry or just not even eat, right?  Yep, I know exactly how you feel because I have been down that road many times.  I do have to say that it gets easier, trust me it does!  With that being said my biggest issue was at Pappadeaux, a very scrumptious seafood restaurants that gives all of their dishes a cajun flavor and twist.  My ultimate favorite has always been their Shrimp Gumbo with dirty rice and their Coconut Shrimp.  So you can imagine the big hurt that I felt when both of my favorites are off limits from now on.  What do you do, well you find something else and give it a try.  That's when I found the Costa Rican Tilapia with a lemon, olive oil sauce served with zucchini ribbons.  It is pan seared to perfection!!  I now crave this meal which is great because not only is it Gluten Free but it is healthy too.  Since I have fallen in love with Tilapia I wanted to create my own version of it at home.  Not only is it easy to make but it is a fraction of the cost of Pappadeaux.  

Pan Seared Tilapia

Ingredients:

Tilapia Filets,you can use fresh or frozen, 1-2 filets per person depending on the size of filet

1 Lemon sliced in half, then cut into smaller sections for serving

Salt

Pepper

1 slice of butter

Gluten Free Cooking Spray

Directions:

1.  Wash each Tilapia filet and pat it dry with a paper towel.

2.  Season both sides of the filet with salt and pepper.  I give mine a pretty good covering because my husband cannot have enough seasoning on his foods.

3.  Spray your pan with the cooking spray.

4.  Heat the pan up on medium-high heat and then place the slice of butter on the pan.  

5.  Once the butter is melted and your pan is hot add the filet to the pan.  Be sure not to overcrowd the pan or it will not brown up for you.

6.  While the pan is getting hot you can slice the lemon in half and then into smaller sections for serving.  I cut mine like they do for water in the restaurants.

7.  Cook the first side for 5-6 minutes, then flip it over carefully with tongs.

8.  Then cook the other side for 3-4 minutes.  You only need to flip the filets one time during the cooking process.  

9.  During the last 2 minutes of cooking squeeze the lemon half over all the filets.  Don't worry the pan will start to smoke and sizzle but it will be ok.

10.  Once the filets are done cooking you are ready to serve.  To help them from breaking apart use a spatula to lift them out of the pan carefully.

Remember you can change up your flavors by squeezing more lemons over the filets right before you eat them.  It brings so much joy to my mouth when I squeeze more lemons over them.  Enjoy!