Pan Seared Tilapia with Lemon & Browned Butter

When I made glazed tilapia recently, I thought it was really tasty. "Oh, man, this is so good. Absolutely delicious. Wow. I mean, the combo of the fish and the sauce...Oh, man. Mmm. Geez, this is good." Maybe I should have toned down my ooh-ing and aah-ing, because the husband wasn't quite as enamored as I was.

"Well, I think I'm more of a tilapia-seared-in-butter kind of guy," he said.

Fair. The man likes his fish crispy and buttery. I can handle that. I'll still force him to endure glazed tilapia sometimes (because it really was awesome), but I felt challenged to create a husband-approved dinner.

Not being one to back down from a food challenge, I snagged two more tilapia fillets and set to work.  Flour and butter made it crispy, lemon added a bit of pizzazz. The husband seemed to enjoy this new tilapia very much. When I asked him for a quote to confirm its excellence, he said, "So you can put it on your blog and embarrass me?" Then he paused. I'm pretty sure he realized I held the tilapia recipe as leverage. "But it was flaky and good," he conceded.

He must really love me to let me embarrass him like this.

Pan Seared Tilapia with Lemon & Browned Butter
Serves: 2

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tilapia fillets, about 6 ounces each
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablepsoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Season tilapia with salt and pepper. Dust with flour and pat off excess. Add tilapia to the pan and saute for about 4 minutes, until the first side has a golden brown crust. Flip tilapia and saute for 3-4 minutes longer, until the second side has a golden brown crust. Add butter to the pan. Wait until the foaming and bubbling subsides, then add the lemon juice and parsley. Swirl the pan to combine. Plate the fish and pour the pan sauce over it to serve.