Tilapia Milanese

This is the first of many upcoming tilapia recipes.  Reason being, I bought 6 large pieces of fresh tilapia for $7.00 (thank you buy one get two free from Albertsons).  The picture below is just HALF a piece of tilapia.  I was able to cut and freeze 12 pieces of fish.  Thankfully, I love tilapia and am looking forward to finding some creative recipes! This one was fabulous.  The lemon zest definitely made the meal.  I didn't use the flour, butter and bread in order to eliminate some calories.  Instead, I dipped the fish in egg then Panko crumbs before throwing it on the stove with a little olive oil.  Other than that, I followed all directions from the Food Network Magazine recipe. I served it with asparagus and brown/wild rice.  Enjoy!

 Ingredients

• 4 6-ounce tilapia fillets
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 6 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley leaves
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon, plus lemon wedges for serving
• 5 to 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 cups baby arugula

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Soak the fish in a bowl with the milk and 2 cups ice, 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the flour with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Lightly beat the eggs in another dish. Pulse the bread, parsley, lemon zest and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until crumbs form, then transfer to a third dish.

One at a time, remove the fillets from the milk and dredge in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip in the eggs, then coat with the breadcrumbs, gently pressing to coat both sides. Transfer to a large plate.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Heat 2 tablespoons each olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 fillets and cook until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 2 fillets, adding 2 more tablespoons each olive oil and butter. Transfer the fish to the oven and bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Toss the arugula with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve the fish with the salad and lemon wedges.