Pecan Crusted Tilapia with Butter Rum Sauce

I love fish. It is a great option for a quick weeknight meal, even if it's frozen. Tilapia is also great because it doesn't have a really fishy taste either. I don't usually use a recipe for fish, I usually just throw on some olive oil and seasoning and stick it in the oven, but this looked too good to pass up. I think I'm also going through a phase. Last month I did several Greek-inspired dishes; see these, meatballs and these too. This month I have gone southern with my Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice and now this dish, originally from Southern Living, that I found on This Mommy Cooks.

The pecan crust is great but what really makes this dish is the sauce; oh I love this sauce. It is a little sweet and citrusy with just a hint of rum. I think this sauce would go well on any fish, actually. You could even toast up the pecans and throw them into the sauce at the end of cooking if you didn't want to dredge the fish.

For some reason I ALWAYS serve my fish with wild rice. I don't know why, it just seems to go well together. I also served steamed sugar snap peas. Rice has been a great vehicle in getting my girls to eat meat and veggies; as long as they are cut up pretty small. They have never had a problem eating fish this way either! Yeah!

For the fish:
1/2 cup pecans
4 small tilapia fillets
salt
pepper
olive oil

For the Sauce:
3 Tbsp butter
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
*2 Tbsp. rum (substitute 1 tsp. rum extract)
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tbsp orange juice
2 tsp honey


Preheat oven to 425. Process pecans in a food processor until finely chopped. Drizzle fish fillets with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge fish in finely chopped pecans.

Place fillets on a baking sheet lined with foil or a silpat and bake about 8-10 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork.

While fish is baking, prepare the sauce. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat; add shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until shallot is tender. Reduce heat to low, and slowly whisk in the rum/rum extract and remaining ingredients. Serve warm over fish.

*You may also omitt the rum completely and just add a little more citrus.

SOURCE:Adapted from This Mommy Cooks, originally from Southern Living 2009