Homemade Creole Seasoning and Baked Creole Tilapia with Sauce

I've recently joined pinterest and I'm loving it. The different ideas are very inspiring and I'm pretty sure I save everything I find. I have to say though, it's starting to depress me a bit. I love autumn, the food, decorations, everything, but I love summer even more. When I log on to pinterest I keep seeing all of these autumn ideas and I'm starting to realize that summer is going away. Of course, I can't stop this from happening so I just need to get over it, but it does make me want to spend more time outdoors enjoying every minute.

Enough whining now. :) By the way, I've started a Baby Talk! page for all of my followers that are interested in baby updates. I'm keeping it pretty open to any ideas related to babies. I'll update it from time to time. Please make comments, recommendations and so on!

As for the tilapia recipe, well, first we have to start with the creole seasoning recipe. I'll be honest, I am not a creole seasoning fan. I've never been. I think it's because I haven't been exposed to the food enough (the quality food). I didn't want to risk it and make up a recipe, so I went out and searched for one with high reviews and I must say I was very impressed. This might be my new favorite way to eat tilapia. I have no idea how authentic it is, but I plan to make this in big batches and use it on everything I can. And don't skip the sauce for the fish! It's worth it! Yummmmm!!!!

Creole Seasoning

Serving Size = 1 1/4 cups

Original Recipe

• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon cayenne (cut in half for our toddler)
• 5 tablespoons paprika
• 3 tablespoons salt (you can cut the salt back a bit if you're worried, but it worked fine for me)

1. Mix everything together and store in an airtight container.

Other recipes with this spice mix: Creole Pasta, Creole Artichoke Hearts, Creole Rice, Sauteed Duck Breast with Cajun/Creole Mustard Sauce

Baked Creole Tilapia and Sauce

Serving Size = 4
Original Recipe

Fish

• 4 fillets of tilapia
• 1 tablespoon of creole seasoning, or to taste (I probably added a bit more)
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced (about 2 pieces per fish)

Sauce

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I doubled, at least)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (had to use dried)

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly oil a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Season the tilapia on both sides, arrange in a single layer in the baking sheet, top with the lemons and bake for 15 - 20 minutes (or until fish flakes easily with a fork).

By the way, if it's 4,000 degrees out and you want to keep the house cool, you could easily wrap this in foil and put it on the grill.

Also, I served this with mushroom rice.

Linking to: Foodie Friday, Friday Potluck, A Week of Handmade Gifts