On The Menu: Sun-Dried Tomato Tilapia

This is one of those meals that takes absolutely no time.  Ok, more like around 5 Minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook...but still.  I never used to be a huge fish eater.  I love seafood like shrimp, scallops, crab, lobster, etc, but I couldn't really ever get into actual fish.  Until I found out why.  White fish like tilapia has almost no flavor, so you really have to season it up before cooking.  I still don't like Salmon though..too fishy.

What you will need:
• Tilapia filets (we buy the bags of tilapia in the freezer section that come with about 10 individually wrapped tilapia filets in them) - thawed if frozen.  I find it's best to let them thaw naturally instead of defrost in the microwave, because they're so thin, they can start cooking in the microwave. And no one wants that.
• Olive Oil
• Italian Seasoning (or basil and oregano)
• Garlic Salt
• Black Pepper
• Chopped Sun Tried Tomatoes (I buy the jarred ones in oil)
• Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
• Extra Minced Garlic (we also buy this in a jar and use it on everything) (Optional)
• Pat of Butter for Each Filet

Suggested Sides:
• Steamfresh vegetables - For this one I used the SteamFresh New Potatoes in Garlic Butter Sauce
• Rice
• Green Beans
• Pasta

1. Preheat oven to 425 Degrees.

2. Start by pouring a few tablespoons of olive oil in a small baking dish. Place the thawed tilapia in the pan and coat in the olive oil on both sides.

3. Sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper, and italian seasonings.  There is no measurements for this, just make sure both sides have plenty of seasoning, but not enough so that you can't see the fish.

4. (Optional) We like a litle extra spice, so I add a few red pepper flakes and about 1/4 tsp minced garlic to each tilapia filet on one side only.

5. Chop the sun dried tomatoes into bits and distribute evenly over fish.  Most sun dried tomatoes in jars come in slices or halves.  Just make sure to make all the pieces the same size.  You can even use a little of the oil that comes in the jar of tomatoes over the fish as well.

6. Top each piece of fish with a little pat of butter and bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 8 - 10 minutes.

7. Serve with your side of choice.  With those steam vegetebles that cook in bags in the microwave, you can heat them while your fish cooks.  Enjoy!

IDEA: You can also buy sun dried tomato pesto, or make your own, to top these fish.  Sounds yummy as well!