Creamy Tilapia Meuniere

Sometimes on a hot summer day, nothing is better than a light fish dinner. Inspired by some leftover ingredients I already had in my fridge, I decided to create my own spin on a traditional French dish, sole meuniere.

Sole meuniere is a delicious piece of mild fish fried in the pan and topped with a simple lemon butter sauce. Apparently "meuniere" means "miller's wife" because the fish is dusted in flour first. I decided to channel my inner French miller's wife:



My Creamy Tilapia Meuniere kicks it up a notch with white wine and cream in addition to the lemon and butter. Hey, I never professed to be a classical trained French chef....I just cannibalize recipes I find online. Bon appetit!


Ingredients:

• 1 tilapia fillet. You can use any mild white fish, including sole or flounder.

• 3 tbsp. flour

• 1 tsp. garlic powder

• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

• 3/4 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. minced garlic

• 2 tbsp. butter

• 1/2 cup white wine

• 1/2 cup whipping cream

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

This recipe is very easy to make for a quick week night meal, and fancy pants enough for company. Enjoy!


Directions:

Mix flour, pepper, salt, and garlic powder on a plate.




Put your butter in a sautee pan and melt over medium high heat until the butter is foamy and slightly brown (should take just a couple minutes).




Dredge your fish in the flour mixture, making sure to coat completely. Shake to get rid of the excess flour, and then put it in the hot butter.




Let it brown for a couple minutes. In the meanwhile, put on some French music and taste your white wine to make sure it's suitable for the fish. *

*NOTE: This is not a real step. But it's fun.




Once the side touching the pan is browned, flip it carefully (fish falls apart easily!) Let it sear on the other side for another 2-3 minutes until the fish is cooked all the way through. It should flake easily when you stick a fork in it and should be completely opaque. Remove it from the pan and keep it on another plate.




Add your garlic to the hot butter and let it sautee for just a minute. Then add your wine, and let it bubble away and reduce for a couple minutes. The wine deglazes the pan and picks up the nice browned bits left by the fish. The flour from the fish will help thicken it!




After a few minutes, add the cream and the lemon juice. Let it simmer for another few minutes until it is thick enough to coat the back of your spoon. No exact science here! If it's not thickening enough, you can always sprinkle in some leftover flour from the dredging.




Pour the sauce over your fish, sprinkle with the fresh parsley, and voila! Creamy Tilapia Meuniere.