Bacon-Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

I think one of the best aromas in the world is the smell of frying bacon!  When I smell bacon cooking, my eyes glaze over, I start to salivate, and all thought and reasoning are pushed aside.  I mean, I could have just eaten a full three course meal and if I smell bacon, I'll want to devour it!  So, obviously, when I saw this recipe, I HAD to try it.  It's now one of my favorite fish recipes.

Now, let's just say you love the sound of this recipe but aren't a fan of fish.  Go ahead and use chicken instead.  I think the flavors of the bacon-parmesan mixture would work fantastic on chicken too.

Bacon-Parmesan Crusted Tilapia
Adapted from MyRecipes.com/Coastal Living 
Makes 2 Servings
Ingredients:
4-6 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (or 1/2 Tbls dried parsley)
2 (5- to 6-ounce) Tilapia fillets (or any white fish such as cod or sole or haddock)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
olive oil
garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking dish by spraying it with non stick cooking spray.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Set aside.

Place fish in prepared dish.  Drizzle fish with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder.  Top each fillet evenly with the breadcrumb mixture.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.  Enjoy!

**A note regarding panko:  In a lot of my recipes, you will see that I use panko instead of regular dry bread crumbs.  Panko is a variety of bread crumbs used in Japan.  It tends to have an airier, crispier texture then most bread crumbs used in Western cuisines.  Most grocery stores carry at least one brand of panko, but not always, so if this is the case at your grocery store, you can easily use dry bread crumbs.  If you are feeling really adventurous, though, you can even make your own.  Personally, I like the crunchy texture that panko gives to foods, even if you aren't deep frying it.