Tilapia is a comparatively inexpensive and versatile fish, and it's especially good in this sour cream and Dijon sauce. The fish bakes up moist and flaky, and the sauce is smooth and mild but with a slight kick from the mustard and briny capers. In other words, the recipe turns out a really good fish dinner. The recipe also takes only about 20 minutes, making it great for a weeknight or busy weekend. I use a combination of sour cream and yogurt to cut the amount of fat in the dish and because I like the tang from the yogurt. You can use all sour cream if you prefer, but I recommend trying the recipe with the yogurt first, if you have it on hand. Similarly, I like the capers, but if you don't like them or don't have any, just leave them out. The capers do give a nice salty flavor that contrasts well with the sour cream and mustard. I serve the fish with rice usually, but it's also great with baked potatoes alongside. Enjoy!
Tilapia in Sour-Cream Dijon Sauce With Capers -- Serves 2
2-3 tilapia fillets (about 3/4 pound of fish)
1/4 cup of sour cream (light is fine)
1/4 cup of plain, non-fat or light yogurt
2-3 teaspoons of grainy Dijon mustard (depending on how much you like mustard)
2 teaspoons of capers
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of dried dill
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of salt
Paprika (optional)
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a small baking pan with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and spritz the foil with non-stick spray. Pat the fish dry with a paper towel and cut each fillet, lengthwise, into two pieces (cut along the dark line running lengthwise to get two roughly equal pieces). Place the pieces on the foil-lined baking sheet (If you have really two thin pieces, overlap them slightly in the center of the pan). In a bowl or measure, combine the sour cream, yogurt, Dijon mustard, capers, onion powder, dill, salt, and pepper until everything is well blended. Spread the mixture over each of the fillets, coating the tops of the fillets well. Sprinkle a little paprika over the fish for color, if you'd like. Bake the fish for about 15 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork and the topping is a slightly golden color and mostly set.
