Almond Tilapia Fillets

(This recipe was first posted in conjunction with the Meijer Ad Week of 3/4/12 - 3/10/12)

This mild fish gets lots of flavor from the combination of toppings.  Tilapia doesn't have a strong "fishy" flavor, so even if you don't normally care for seafood, you might like this!

Ingredients:

1 - 16 oz bag frozen tilapia fillets, thawed
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1/2 cup margarine or butter
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Arrange tilapia fillets in a greased 9x13 pan.  Heat almonds and butter/margarine together in a microwave-safe bowl for 2 minutes or until almonds turn slightly brown.  Add lemon juice to this mixture.  Spread/sprinkle almond mixture over fillets.  Sprinkle dill weed and pepper over fillets, then cover with Parmesan cheese.  Bake, uncovered, 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Options and Tips

• Don't be afraid to adjust the ingredients according to your taste.  Making the recipe as above will yield almond-covered fish, but if you just want a sprinkling of almonds, use half the amount of almonds and butter called for.  Maybe you like a stronger lemon flavor and less dill, or maybe you want to try shredded swiss instead of the grated Parmesan.  I generally make some fillets without any almonds because my kids prefer "no nuts".
• Heads up:  a 16 oz bag of tilapia fillets generally only has four fillets.  It's enough for my family but if you have big appetites or older kids you'll need to double the recipe.
• You can also cook this in the microwave.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and microwave on high 4-5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

The inspiration for this recipe can be found on page 67 of Taste of Home's Quick Cooking Annual Recipes 2003.  I made many, many alterations to the quantities and ingredients, as well as to the baking instructions.