Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

And now for a short reprieve from baked goods (but not too long, don't worry!). With all this baking for Christmas going on I am definitely not making as many new dinners as I normally do, but we gotta eat sometime, right?

This is an old favorite - super easy for a rushed weeknight, yet nice enough for a casual dinner with friends as well. It basically consists of making a paste of butter and cheese (and seriously, how can you go wrong with that) and spreading it on broiled fish.

The original recipe say that the amounts below make 8 servings, but they really don't (I halve what is below for the two of us). Tilapia is so light and flaky that Chuck and I can eat almost 8 ounces of it (is that embarrassing to admit?) as a main dish. And don't worry about the specific seasonings that are listed, I really just add what I have in my spice cabinet. Enjoy!

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
from allrecipes.com
Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (I add parsley too)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder (or minced onion)
1/8 teaspoon celery salt (or garlic salt)
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes.

Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Before the final broil...

...and after. Yum!