Macaroon Crusted Tilapia.

I think we all know how much I love coconut.

You should love it too!

Unless your name is Mr. How Sweet. He despises coconut. He would rather chew nails than eat coconut. Even though he has absentmindedly eaten it in many recipes I’ve made. Right about now he is looking at the computer screen and highly annoyed that he has eaten coconut without knowing it. And claiming that it can not be true.

It is true.

I realize this can be tricky. There are many of you that don’t like coconut and probably even more of you that don’t like fish. And there are probably sixteen pregnant women that are reading this post and attempting not to upchuck.

But I’m telling you… it’s really delicious! When do I ever steer you wrong? I mentioned earlier this week on Facebook that this fish is so delicious it could make you cry. A few tears may have been shed.

It is not very sweet and is basically tilapia encrusted in coconut and almonds. Best combination ever.

I got a little heavy handed on the coconut. Oops.

Any chance I had at tricking Mr. How Sweet into eating this flew out the window at that moment.

But that’s okay… more for me.

It’s super easy too – dip the tilapia then bake!

A few squirts of lemon juice is mandatory. This just screams summer. And beach weather.

Which would be nice to have right now, since there are about six inches of snow outside my window. Do I live in Antarctica?

If you love coconut and almonds but are on the fence about fish, you must give it a try. It is perfect atop a salad (yuck) or even with pasta or brown rice.

I loved this so much. I just love fish. I just love coconut.

I just love food. Period.

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Macaroon Crusted Tilapia

serves 4

4 tilapia filets

3/4 cup almonds (or about 1/2 cup almond meal)

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 egg whites, lightly beaten

salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

If the almonds are whole, grind in a food processor until they are coarsely ground. Mix almond meal with coconut thoroughly. Season tilapia filets with salt and pepper liberally. Dip each tilapia filet in the egg whites, then coat with the almond/coconut mixture. Lay on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. If desired, spritz with olive oil to help the crust brown.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and fish is flakey.

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No bacon today. I figured you could use a break.

Tagged as: coconut, fish, recipes, seafood