Tilapia is a "go to" meal in our house. My standard is broiling with lemon, garlic and white wine, but here's another one I came up with a while back that is different, yet still quite healthy.
Mix some panko (Japanese bread crumbs) with flaked coconut. Bread the filets as normal - flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Drizzle with a little olive oil (use an olive oil spritzer if you have one - more even coverage). The oven fry on 350º until fish flakes easily - usually 20 minutes or so.
In a small sauce pan, sautee in oil one small, chopped red onion and some garlic. After a few minutes, add some diced tropical fruit (I've used papaya, mango and pineapple - or a combination of two or all of them), some lemon or lime juice, salt and pepper, cilantro (fresh or dried - whatever you may have) and a little brown sugar. You could also toss in a diced jalapeno if you like a little heat. Cook this until it gets sort of caramelized but still has some consistency to it. Add in some chopped scallions at the end and let them warm up.
Top your baked tilapia fillets with the fruit mixture and you've got what I call "tropical tilapia". I usually serve with some couscous and roasted veggies on the side.
Tilapia is so mild and versatile. I've also used an Asian inspired technique. Mix some sesame oil, soy sauce, lime juice, ginger (or use five spice powder if you have it) and whisk together. Pour this mixture over the filets in your baking dish and bake until fish flakes easily. I serve this with stir fried bok choy and onions.
I used to pan fry but I've found that not only is oven frying healthier, it's cleaner as well. One secret I've found is to always cover the baking dish with aluminum foil though. It keeps the juices in and kind of steams the fish without drying it out.
Dang, I was going to have pork chops tonight but I'm starting to rethink
