I am breaking my ‘there has to be at least 1 local ingredient’ rule to include this dish.  It is one of our favorite simple, basic entrees.  Whenever we haven’t had fish in a while, and I feel the need to give Cam a real shot of protein, I know I can turn to cornmeal-crusted tilapia and have him (and the rest of us) down a good meal.

We used to have a farm-raised tilapia operation about half an hour from my house, but that is not where the fish we can buy comes from. Tilapia is a fairly bland fish, but the texture lends itself perfectly to the cornmeal crust and light frying.

Cornmeal-Crusted Tilapia

1/2 cup finely ground, yellow cornmeal

2 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 Tbsp chili powder

dash cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

4 tilapia fillets

Olive or safflower oil

Directions

Combine the cornmeal, flour, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and salt in a shallow bowl.

Rinse the fish and dredge in the cornmeal mixture.

Heat a thin layer of oil in a heavy skillet.  When the oil is hot, place the dredged fish in the skillet and fry till cooked, about 3 minutes per side.

Serve and enjoy!

Serves 4.