Injury Coconut Tilapia

   I'm not one to cook fish normally but I am learning so why not try it? I cooked a wonderful tilapia recipe my  cousin Natalie had given me and it turned out amazing. Fish scares me because you can tell as obviously when it's done, like chicken. I did some searching on the interwebs yesterday and came across this little number. It would have been awesome...if I hadn't been injured so many times in the  process or made such a mess.

Cocount Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce

Ingredients:

1 C flaked coconut, finely chopped.
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Creole/Cajun seasoning (comes with most spice sets you display but don't oft use)
2 eggs beaten
1/2 C cornstarch (which I now hate, reasoning to follow)
3-4 Tilapia fillets
1/3 C veggie oil

   We begin this journey by having a poorly stacked pile of pots and pans collapse inside the cabinet we are standing in front of and a very heavy cast iron pot tumbling out onto our bare foot.

 
  Off to a swimming start. From there, start lining up your ingredients methodically as I do. But make sure you're distracted by a phone call so when you open the corn starch you don't realize it has a weird consistency and goes everywhere.

 
   Don't worry, it washes off. Then toss together the coconut (after you have made a very fine slice on your thumb from your pink knife), flour and bayou (creole) seasoning.

   In a separate bowl, toss the tilapia in the corn starch. try to get it all over your foot as you tap the fish meat off of excess corn starch.

   After eggs are beaten in a 3rd bowl (sigh, this is a lot of dishes...) dredge the fishy in the egg and plop it into the coconut mixture, coating all sides.

   Heat the veggie oil in 2 separate frying pans (made it easier for me, recipe called for one pan). When it doesn't seem to be hot yet, slam the fish into the pan sloppily so oil goes everywhere.

 

Toss another fillet in the other pan and let them sizzle for a bit until bottom is golden brown. Then flip the fillet.

   This next part is SO important. Make sure you burn yourself with the oil spatter. Because you aren't injured enough yet for the meal to be worth it. Done? OK, move on now. Place the fillets after they are cooked on a paper towel lined plate.

                                          They do look good, maybe it'll be worth it....
Apricot Dipping Sauce

Ingredients-
1/2 C Apricot Jam
2 tsp brown mustard
1 tsp horseradish

   Keep it simple. Just toss them into a bowl together. It will look nasty.

  
   Then smash 'em all together. FYI- apricots are clumpy. Chop it up, friends.

   I served this with brown rice with butter, salt and pepper. The rice was fabulous. The fish...the piece I chose for myself...not cooked all the way through. It was the only piece of the 3 large pieces I prepared that wasn't cooked fully.

   After convulsing and dry heaving, I popped my lone piece into the microwave and choked the rest down. The fish itself with the coconut crust I enjoyed. Aaron got home after this was all cooked and I was upstairs straightening things (go figure). He heated his serving up and shouted up "This is REALLY good, Autumn!" I was stunned. He's a chef, as you know and NEVER says anything is more than "good". He was all curious about the dipping sauce and how I coated the fish etc. He loved it! At least one of us did. Blood, sweat and puke = good meal for Vangors, I suppose.

   Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go purchase another Coconut Twix bar as I had yesterday...

                                                          Holy yum.