Tilapia Salad that satisfies like a T-bone

You'll never believe me until you try it yourself. This salad may be the best meal that I've ever made. I stumbled on it by accident, but I know for sure that it's going to be a staple in my recipe book for the rest of my life. The picture may not look great but I promise it's delish! You say you don't really like fish? Neither does my husband... but he LOVES this! Try it!

The best salad I've ever made

2 Tilapia fillets

1 large lemon juiced and zested

1 medium shallot (diced finely)

1 can mandarin orange wedges

1/2 clove garlic minced

salt & pepper to taste

romaine lettuce, torn into salad pieces

1/4 cup slivered almonds (toast on stove top with a tsp. of butter and sugar)

dried cranberries

breadcrumbs

mayo

olive oil (or blood orange infused olive oil if you want extra credit)

Step 1: Partially assemble dressing: Mix lemon juice (2-3 Tbs), zest, shallot, salt, pepper, and about 6 orange wedges. Whisk together, crushing oranges and releasing juice. Pour half the mixture over the fish fillets and keep the other half for the dressing.

Step 2: Add additional salt/pepper to fillets if needed. Add the 1/2 clove garlic and set aside to marinate 20-30 minutes.

Step 3: Finish dressing: Add 1 tablespoon mayo to the dressing mixture, whisk until creamy. Then drizzle in olive oil while you whisk until dressing reaches desired consistency-- should be similar to creamy ranch dressing.

Step 4: Assemble salad: Prepare salad plates with romaine lettuce, toasted almonds, cranberries and the rest of the mandarin orange wedges. Set aside until fish is ready.

Step 5: Finish fish: Remove fillets from marinade and set marinade juice aside for later. Rub fillets with a small amount of mayo (1/2 tsp each) and then dredge them in the breadcrumbs until coated. Heat olive oil in pan on medium to medium-high and then sear fish 2-3 minutes per side until cooked. After you've started searing the second side of the fish, toss in the leftover marinade and cover-- it will add some steam and a nice flavor.

When the fish is ready, place one fillet on top of each salad, give it a squeeze of lemon juice and then drizzle your finished dressing on top. Delicious!

This is a Katie original!