As I write this I seem to be coming down with a nasty stomach bug my darling daughter passed on. I have no picture of the completed dish, but just imagine a beautifully golden brown tilapia fillet with a slowly melting piece of herb compound butter on top. That wasn’t so hard was it?)

Sometimes my only hope of getting food on the table depends on the contents of my freezer. There, I said it. And I own it. Do not judge me.

This week the 4 year old came down with a wicked stomach flu. Any and all plans of mine went out the window, as my baby needed me. No shopping, no cooking, had to call clients and re-schedule their Personal Chef cooking. If my mom and I wanted to eat, then into my well stocked freezer I would go.

I love to eat and prepare fish (although you wouldn’t know it by looking at my bacon loving blog) but I don’t always buy fresh. When you buy fresh fish you must be prepared to cook it that day, or the next. Fish does not have a long shelf life, which is why I often have frozen fish fillets in my freezer.

Lucky for me I had picked up a 3 pound bag of Great American Tilapia Fillets at my local Smart & Final store. I often shop there for both my Personal Chef/Catering business, as well as for my family. I popped a couple into my fridge to thaw, and went back to my ailing child’s room for more “lay all over mama time.”

I also pulled my roll of compound butter out of the freezer, and sliced off a couple of pieces.  Compound butter is a staple in my freezer because you can use it for practically everything. And we all know butter makes everything taste better, right? And bacon.

This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes (minus thawing time), which is another huge plus for this busy mom.

Tilapia Fillets with Compound Butter

1 TB olive oil

4 tilapia fillets

salt and pepper to taste

4 tsp compound butter, or regular salted butter

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat.  Season the tilapia fillets with salt and pepper. (If using the seasoned compound butter, go light on the salt and pepper)

Place the fillets into the pan, and cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn the fillets over, and cook and additional 2 minutes or so, or until the fish is done.

Remove the fillets to a serving platter, and immediately top each with 1 teaspoon of compound butter.