Blackened Tilapia with Avocado Aioli

The last time I was at the store I noticed a bag of frozen tilapia was on sale for less than $5. That is the kind of deal I like, so I grabbed a bag and decided I would expand my cooking skills a bit more. I did some research and found this recipe and made a few modifications based on what we had. This dish was, as usual, so simple, yet absolutely delicious. I lost count of how many times John told me he loved the fish! When you go the extra step and make the avocado aioli, it's the perfect summer dish.

Ingredients:
*tilapia filets
*1/2 tsp garlic powder
*1/2 tsp minced onion
*1/2 tsp ground cumin
*1 tsp chili powder (or more if you like it spicier!)
*1 tbsp panko whole wheat bread crumbs (optional, just makes it crispier)
*salt and pepper
*olive oil
*1/4 cup light miracle whip (or other light mayo)
*3 garlic cloves, chopped
*juice of one lime
*1 ripe avocado, peeled with seed removed

Preparation:

*Combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, minced onion, ground cumin, chili powder and ½ tsp salt in a small bowl. Liberally sprinkle some of the mixture on both sides of each filet and set aside.

*Puree the mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice and avocado until smooth using a food processor or blender. (Note, if you need to make your sauce creamier add a little low sodium chicken broth to the mixture. My avocado was perfectly ripe and added enough oil so this wasn't necessary for me.) Transfer sauce to a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.

*Heat a skillet over medium high heat and add some olive oil to the pan. When the pan and oil is hot, add the filets and cook for 3 minutes per side or until just opaque in the center.

*Transfer filets to plates and serve with a small dollop of avocado aioli on top.

The aioli - - which was great on salmon too!

Time to cook!

One side done

Ta-da! I garnished with cherry tomato to give it some more color.