Spicy Baked Tilapia with Roasted Red Pepper Mayo

I was not raised a fish lover.  While my family loved to fish--they were mostly "catch and release" fishermen--and commercial fresh fish was generally too expensive for our budget.  Today, however, after a lot of years with a fresh fish and seafood loving husband--I have learned to add a lot of seafood to our menus.  Oddly enough, this dish was one of my first attempts at cooking farm raised tilapia--and this is probably still one of my favorite fish dishes.  (It's just not all that "fishy"!)

Spicy Baked Tilapia Ingredients

• 1 Pound bagged Tilapia (thawed) or 1 Pound fresh Tilapia  
• 1/2 tsp Salt 
• 2 heaping tsp ground Black Pepper 
• 2 heaping tsp ground Paprika 
• 2 Tbsp Butter or Butter Flavored Cooking Spray 

Spicy Baked Tilapia Instructions:
 
Preheat oven and prepare pan.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. If you are using Butter, place it into a 13x9 inch baking dish and place into the preheated oven until the butter melts.
Mix spices.  Combine the salt, pepper, & paprika in a small dish and thoroughly mix the spices.
Coat tilapia and bake.  Dip the fish into the melted butter, coating both sides and sprinkle each filet with desired amount of spice (see note below). Place fish pieces into the heated baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Recipe Notes and Tips:
**Our little girls are not much for the spices in this dish, so I bake their portions separately using cooking spray (or sometimes butter) with no spices and just a sprinkle of dried dill and garlic instead!

**I use Tilapia for this dish, but any white fish of your choice works just as well. I like the sweetness of the tilapia against the spices. You can increase or decrease the level of spicy heat as you wish by cutting the spice mix in half or by doubling if you desire. 

**If you opt to double the spice, don't double the salt!! Just double the pepper & paprika! If you are seeking to reduce your sodium intake, you make want to cut down the salt amount as well.

Side Dishes and the Roasted Red Pepper Mayo Recipe
Roasted Red Pepper Mayo Ingredients 

• 1 Red Pepper (Roasted, peeled, and finely chopped) or 2 Tbsp jarred, chopped Roasted Red Peppers 
• 4 Tbsp Mayonnaise 
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Roasted Red Pepper Mayo Instructions

Mix the ingredients throroughly in a small bowl and chill. Stir again before spooning over the warm fish.

Side Dishes and Serving Ideas
We enjoy Spicy Tilapia with Roasted Red Pepper Mayo with couscous and either cabbage cole slaw or a broccoli slaw or salad.

**The Mama's Corner of the World photo storage system seems to have eaten the Spicy Tilapia photo!  We'll post a photo as soon as we have a new one available!