Crunchy Oven Fried Tilapia

Crispy and flavorful fish is always great, but often times it has to be fried in order to get that result. Great for the taste buds, but not so good for the waistline (or arteries). 

While this recipe isn't exactly fried fish, it is a tasty and healthy alternative.  Abe and Adam loved it.  Adam even had fun helping me make it.  Well, he mainly watched me make it, while stealing bits of the cornmeal/bread crumb mixture (kids eat the weirdest things).  But it would be an easy meal for older kids to make.  The drizzle of olive oil crisps up the fish.  If you want to avoid the calories, you can spray them with a non-stick cooking spray or even just bake them as is.

I adapted this recipe from one I found on Allrecipes.com.

I served it with roasted maple glazed acorn squash and brown rice.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Oven Fried Tilapia
Serves 4

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper
2 egg white
4 tilapia fillets or loins
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Olive oil
  
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Sift or stir flour, salt, and pepper together in a shallow dish, and set aside. In a bowl, beat egg whites until white and frothy. In another bowl, combine bread crumbs with cornmeal and spices.

To bread the fillets, dip first into flour, shaking off any excess, then into egg whites, then into bread crumb mixture. 

Spray a shallow baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lay fillets flat in the dish, tucking under any thinner ends or edges for more even cooking. Drizzle olive oil on top of fillets. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a folk.