As I am writing this post, it is thundering, lightening and the sky is dropping ice pellets like it ain't no thang (I'm not afraid to use Midwest slag). And I'm listening to bluegrass radio on itunes; it just sounded great.
I'm praying for my husband's safety while he is making his way to work. As I am off work for the morning, I thought it would be spent well by finally posting a simple recipe I've been meaning to show you all.
You may or may not work full time away from home, or you may be a stay at home mom. Whatever the case, if you have trouble coming up with simple, healthy, and tasty recipe every night like me, you may appreciate this one.
Fish. So good if it's cooked well, and if you've got the loving taste buds for it. Lately, my husband and I have been eating a lot of tilapia in different ways. Here is just one.
Pan cooked tilapia and asparagus on the side.
Here is where you're going to begin. The best thing about fish is that is doesn't take but a half or less to thaw out. So if you didn't have time to take out chicken, beef, or any other meat for the matter, and you are trying to stay away from microwaving to thaw, you're set here with fish. We buy individually packaged fish, that way the thawing process is easy.
First, plug your sink or fill a large bowl 1/4 to 1/2 of cool to room temperature water. Do not use hot water as it can make your fish fall apart easily while cooking. You will want the fish to stay cold before cooking it. Let them sit in the water for a half hour or less until thawed.
While the fishies are thawing, yes fishies, you can prepare your asparagus, or any side you decide to eat with this scrumptious fish. Roasted oven potatoes, steamed veggies, etc. To keep our asparagus hydrated and stay fresh longer, I keep it standing up in a cup or small bowl in the refrigerator with a small amount of water to submerge the ends. (I learned this from my Momma in law). :)
Once you have rinsed your asparagus well, prepare them by chopping about an inch off the ends.
These will take about 10-15 minutes to cook on stove top depending on how crunchy or soft you like them. We like them in the middle. You can also roast them in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. This is an estimate of time and temperature since I cook with a gas stove. You can adjust your time and temperature according to your oven, but I would say to keep a timer and your eyes on them if you decide to roast them. I like to cook mine over the stove top on medium heat with a tbsp of olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt, pepper, and a small quarter squeeze of a lemon.
Once you've placed your asparagus on your stove top or in your oven, begin seasoning your fish.
The best seasoning we love is the acidity of a lemon, and we keep it simple with Lemon pepper. Most lemon pepper will have salt added as well, so be careful with how much you use. We like to place the fish on a plate and cover both sides of the fish with seasoning.
Look at the color striations, isn't real food just beautiful?
The fish only needs 3 minutes on each side, so you will want to start the fillets when your asparagus has been cooking for about 5 minutes. Place a tbsp of olive oil in a medium to large sized pan and let it heat up over medium heat for a minute. But be careful to not leave the pan over the heat and oil or any longer.
Once you've flipped your fish and tossed your asparagus around a few times over the heat, you are done. This is about a half hour to 45 minutes of your time for dinner or lunch. This pairing takes a short amount of time, preparations are easy and you've got food on your table like...voila!
List of needs for this recipe of two:
-2 fish fillets (tilapia or whatever fish you choose; salmon would be great also)
-Half a bundle of asparagus
-Olive oil
-Sea salt and pepper
-Lemon pepper seasoning
-Quarter of a lemon
Hope you all enjoy!
Always with Love,
Lindsay
