How to Boil Water: Tilapia Fillets with Lemon-Tarragon Sauce

I did not feel like cooking. That was actually the last thing I wanted to do, but I figured it really should considering we had the food and this would be the second time we defrosted fish for this meal and didn't eat it, so I dragged myself off the couch (I was not feeling good) to make dinner. Part of my dread came from that fact that this is a fish meal. Yes, I've gotten pretty good and just about every week we have some kind of fish in our diet - I figure it's good for us, so I tried to get at least one fish in. And I know I like tilapia - it's not a fishy fish, but still. But I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this was the easiest meal in the world to make. And I really do mean that. This meal was simple.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen tilapia fillets or other lean white fish fillets, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
1 teaspoon season salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth - I had chicken broth so I went with chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon snipped fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed - I used dried

Directions:
Thaw fish, if frozen. Rinse fish; pat dry with paper towels. Cut into four serving-size pieces, if necessary. Sprinkle both sides with seasoned salt.

In a 12-inch skillet heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add fish in a single layer, frying on one side until golden. Turn carefully; fry until second side is golden and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Allow 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a serving platter; keep warm..

For sauce, add wine (or chicken broth) and lemon juice to the skillet. To deglaze the skillet, use whisk to scrape up any bits in the bottom of the skillet. Whisk in mustard and tarragon; heat through. Pour sauce over fish.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this meal. It was actually really good. So maybe I was glad that I got up and cooked dinner afterall. It was a heck of a lot healthier than pizza or whatever else we would have come up with and it was something really good that we are actually going to be putting in our favorites book!