Almond Joy

The picture doesn't do this meal justice because it was really really tasty, while the picture is really really washed out. What can I say, sometimes we're just too hungry to spend the time getting a good shot!

I decided one day that I just had to get rid of the almonds that had been sitting in my cupboard for a year, and I also had some stale lemon focaccia bread that I thought would make great crumbs. I'm still debating whether to post the focaccia recipe; I got such pretty pictures, but the bread didn't impress me very much! Maybe I'll post it and you'll have better luck than I did. In the meantime, see below for the fish!

Tilapia "Amandine"

Loosely adapted from Serious Eats

4 tilapia fillets

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp total mix of the following spices: celery salt, paprika, sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, allspice)

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup bread crumbs (we pulsed leftover focaccia in the food processor)

juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp minced fresh parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups spinach

Preheat the oven to 425°.

Place the egg in one dish. In a second dish, combine the spices, almonds and bread crumbs. Season the fillets with salt and pepper, dip into the egg, then dredge in the bread crumb/almond mixture.

Line a metal baking dish with foil and spray with Pam. Place the coated fillets in the dish and cover with extra almond mixture. You don't have to use it all up, but we liked to have a nice crispy top to the fish. It also protects it from too much direct heat and keeps it juicy.

Bake the fish in the heated oven until it flakes easily (ours took about 8 minutes).

Meanwhile, heat a tsp of olive oil in a skillet and cook the garlic for a minute. Add the spinach and sautee until wilted.

Serve the fish over the wilted greens.