Tortilla Chip Crusted Tilapia with Sweet Potato Fries

Happy Thursday, readers! Only 2 more days of work stand between us and the weekend! I believe in us! WE CAN DO THIS! I've been sticking to my goal of using up all the food in my refrigerator and freezer and I have to say, I'm doing a pretty good job at coming up with meals so stay put and read on for TWO blog posts about my thrown-together meals!


Tortilla Chip Crusted Tilapia


2 3-oz tilapia fillets
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 Tbsp mayonnaise (yeah, you read that right)
2 C crushed tortilla chips (plus more if necessary)
1/2 lemon, for serving


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.


Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick spray.


Season both sides of the tilapia with salt and pepper and slater one side with 1/2-1 Tbsp mayonnaise. I know this sounds weird and frankly sort of gross but trust me - it works as a binder. I had already used all my eggs and refuse to go to the grocery store until Saturday or Sunday at the earliest so I went with what I thought would work out. I'm not a betting gal, but this was a risk that definitely paid off!


Now sprinkle, press and coat your mayo'd tilapia fillet with crushed tortilla chips and repeat on the other side with the remaining fillets. *Pro-tip: buy an extra large bag of tortilla chips and eat the remainder of the bag after your crushing portion.


Bake your tilapia for 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway through. You want your fish to be flaky and cooked through.


Serve each fillet with a lemon wedge.


Sweet Potato Fries


2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 Tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tsp crushed red pepper flake


Sweet potatoes are notoriously dense and difficult to cut, at least any one I've ever come across. I've found the easiest way to prepare fries is to marinate them over night to break down some of the starch.


In a bowl, combine peeled and wedged sweet potatoes, oil and spices and allow to sit overnight (longer is better).


Preheat oven to 450.


Line a baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack (Nate had this brilliant idea! The fries were perfectly crisp!). Arrange the wedges on the rack so they are not touching.


Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.


These fries were most definitely the best I've ever made. Lifting the fries off the rack really made a difference in texture! Every other batch of sweet potato fries I've ever made were soggy and sad - NOT THESE!


These recipes resulted in 2 perfectly portioned plates for Nate and myself.

Read on for Shrimp Pesto Linguine.