So how do you feel about fish?

I am praying that fish is a little higher on the list of foods you enjoy than brussel sprouts.

I wanted to talk about fish this week because it is one of those foods that I thought I didn’t really care for and now I can’t get enough of it.

For the first thirty years of my life the only seafood I ate came in a cardboard box, courtesy of Mrs. Paul. Loved those fish sticks. Smothered in tartar sauce.

As a kid, we never had “real” fish for dinner so I was never exposed to it. And then, when I was around 30, someone talked me into trying some fish at a restaurant. I couldn’t believe how fantastic it was. And, can you believe it? It wasn’t even breaded and deep fried. And not a drop of tartar sauce to be found.

Thus began my love affair with seafood. Of all kinds. I became more willing to try new things, but still I was afraid to cook it myself. You know how when you’ve never personally seen something prepared, you’re afraid to try it because you’re not exactly sure what it’s supposed to look like when it’s done? Or, for that matter, how to tell if it IS done? That’s how I was. Immobilized with fish fear.

When I joined Weight Watchers, I began to see a lot of recipes for fish. That makes sense – it’s a low-calorie, low-carb, high protein food that’s loaded with omega 3’s. And we all know how important those are, right?

At about that time I was getting just a little sick of chicken, so I began to look closely at the recipes and found that some of them just didn’t look all that difficult. Of course, I know now that NONE of them are difficult. I can’t believe I put it off for so long.

So today I want to share with you a hugely popular recipe for Broiled Tilapia Parmesan. It’s popular for a good reason – it’s fantastic! This is the first fish recipe I ever made and it remains my favorite. You really can’t mess it up. You can easily substitute any other whitefish (I’ve used orange roughy, haddock, and cod) and the results are just as good.

Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise (reduced fat or fat-free work fine)
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.

Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 231; Total Fat 13.3 grams; Fiber .1 grams; Total Carbs .8 grams; Cholesterol 65 mg; Protein 26.1 grams

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So do you have a favorite fish recipe? If so, I’d love to hear about it.