In an effort to be a little more clean and gluten-free I made a few changes to a recipe from Jessica at How Sweet It Is. I’ve had my eye on for awhile now, just slowly making my way through the hundreds of recipes I have bookmarked.  If you have never tried tilapia you should at least give it a shot.  It’s a very mild, and flaky white fish.  I find you can season it with just about anything, and it makes an easy delicious meal.  It doesn’t have that overly fishy flavor you often find in catfish or trout.

My one word of caution for this recipe is to watch the oat flour and flaxseed(if you choose to substitute for regular flour).  For me they started to burn quicker than normal flour, which led to my fish being a little undercooked.  An easy enough fix was to pop them into the toaster oven for 5-10 minutes, or you could just turn down the heat to the pan and scrape out the burned flour.  Either way, crisp and sweet topped with refreshing salsa.  Perfect for a lazy summer afternoon.  Happy Saturday, don’t forget to relax!

Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia (adapted from How Sweet It Is)
yields 4 filets

  • 2  tilapia filets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp honey, divided
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup oat flour (whole wheat or all-purpose would work as well)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)
  • 1 tablespoons safflower oil

About an hour before cooking season tilapia with salt and pepper and lay in a small baking dish.  In a small bowl combine olive oil, 1 tbsp honey, lime juice, lime zest and minced garlic.  Whisk until combined and pour over tilapia filets.  Loosely cover baking dish with saran wrap and allow filets to marinate until ready to cook.

Meanwhile in a shallow bowl combine oat flour, ground flaxseed, and about 1/4 tsp salt and pepper(more if desired).  Once filets are ready remove from refrigerator and heat safflower oil in skillet over medium heat.  Toss each filet in the oat flour mixture until all sides are coated.  Once oil is hot, place both filets in pan, cooking about 3-4 minutes per side.  Once finished, remove tilapia from pan.  Drizzle filets with 1 tbsp melted honey(the best part) and top with chunky blueberry lime salsa (recipe below). Enjoy!

Chunky Blueberry Lime Salsa (adapted from How Sweet It Is)
yields about 3 cups

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 6 medium strawberries
  • zest of 2 limes
  • juice of two limes
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 avocado, sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup blueberries, diced
  • 6 medium strawberries, diced
  • 1/2 avocado, diced

Combine 1 cup blueberries, 6 medium strawberries, lime zest, lime juice, 1/2 avocado sliced and cilantro in a food processor(or blender) and pulse until combined.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour mixture into a medium bowl and fold in remaining diced fruit and avocado.  Enjoy!

Crispy Honey Lime Tilapia
adapted from: How Sweet It Is
  • 2 tilapia filets
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp honey, divided
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup oat flour (whole wheat or all-purpose would work as well)
  • 2 tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)
  • 1 tablespoons safflower oil