Pan Seared Talapia

With Gina Weishaupt

Fish is a great low calorie, low fat source of protein, but that doesn’t sound very exciting.  What is exciting is a tasty and quick way to prepare that fish so you can enjoy each and every bite of that great protein source.  This Pan Seared Tilapia recipe prepared by Gina Weishaupt, host of Gina’s Everyday Gourmet show, is the result of some fun experimentation in her kitchen with Tilapia.  She needed an alternative to Haddock and Salmon, which too frequently dawned her dinner table.

At first, she baked it, bronzed it, deep-fried it and then alas, decided to pan sear it when she realized how resilient this fish was to being flipped with a spatula.  So, after a quick sprinkle of salt and pepper and a dusting on both sides with searing flour (which is simply one cup of flour with a teaspoon of each kosher salt and white pepper) the Tilapia hit the pan making a pleasant sounding sizzle.  A short three minutes later, the first side, all golden brown with a nice crispy coating was ready to flip.  When the second three minutes were up, she flipped, then threw capers, lemon zest, butter, olive oil and chives into the pan to melt - creating a very happy liquid melange in the pan. 

Since she was in her own kitchen and making this for herself, she added all the things she liked best.  This basting liquid also became her finishing sauce in the end. 

This recipe just works...taste, texture, simplicity, presentation!

Ingredients

For talapia:
4 1/3 Lb Tilapia  filets
Flour for coating
Salt & Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil to coat pan bottom

For basting sauce:
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1 tablespoon capers

Instructions

Measure out all basting sauce ingredients and set aside.
1. Add olive oil to a medium skillet and set over medium heat.
2. Pat dry fish and sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper. Lightly dust each side of fish with basting flour.
3. Place fish in skillet cooking approx 3-4 minutes on each side, until surface is golden brown and internal temperature of fish is 120 degrees.
4. When fish is almost cooked, add olive oil, butter, chives, capers and chives directly to the pan and stir to make the basting sauce. Baste the fish with the basting liquid about 5-7 times until well covered.
5. Take fish out of pan and plate.
6. Finish by spooning the capers and chives from the pan over the top of the fish.

Recipe courtesy of Gina Weishaupt, Gina’s Everyday Gourmet, Boxford Cable TV, www.boxfordcabletv.com, 2011.

Gina Weishaupt is the host of Gina?s Everyday Gourmet cooking show that airs on Boxford Community TV and other Comcast local access channels in Essex County.
Gina is a self taught cook who gained her inspiration and love for cooking from watching her grandmothers and mother in the kitchen throughout her childhood. She has been through numerous cooking programs across the country including training at The Culinary Institute of America?s California campus in the heart of Napa Valley wine country. While at the The CIA, Gina spent time training with Chef John Ash, who is very well known and revered in the culinary world.
Although professionally, Gina is a Business Consultant with a background in corporate sales and marketing, her passion is spending time taping her shows, cooking and entertaining for family and friends. She also spends a significant amount of time traveling to places near and far from which she can gain new culinary knowledge and inspiration.
Gina resides in Boxford, Ma with her husband Frank and her West Highland Terrier, Rudy.