The Favorites Files: Baked Pecan Tilapia!

This is one of my favorite ways to make fish. I stole it out of a cookbook I borrowed from the library some time ago. It has earned the rare honor of making "The Book."

My mother gave me this divided little notebook for Christmas some years ago. It already contained some of her favorite recipes and several of the prize-winning recipes that I made for 4-H fair entries growing up. Needless to say, I treasure it.

Space is a premium in this book, so recipes don't get glued down willy-nilly. They have to be tried, tested, tried again, tested again, and (most of all) loved.

Hopefully, these are the recipes that my descendents will seek out.

This little fishy has earned his place.

As the card says, you can substitute other fish for tilapia, though I would like to note that Every New Dayna is not responsible for the outcome. I love tilapia, it's what the original recipe called for, and I've never made it any other way.

What to do: Preheat the oven to 450F. Put the bread crumbs and seasoning together in a shallow dish. Place the fish, one at a time, into the dish and gently shake and turn to coat.

Put the filets into a baking dish. Press the chopped pecans into the top to make a crust. You can be as picky or not picky about it as you want. As you can see from the photos, I'm on the not picky side of things.

Juice the lemon over the filets. Melt the butter and pour it over the fish as well. Toss it in the oven for 15 minutes. Delicious!