Firecracker Tiliapa with Lemon Aioli

WARNING!! WARNING!! WARNING!! 

This dish is not for the weak of tongue or stomach!!

Fiery... Spicy... Hot... Burning... Blazing... Blistering... Thermogenic..  Those are just a few words I would use to describe this dish.  Ok, ok.. I may have gotten a little carried away with the synonyms, but still, I think you get the picture, this dish is HOT, so beware!  If you are not a spicy food lover, turn away now!

Chris and I love this recipe!  I've tested it on him a few times now.  Last time I made it, I actually put the fish in a foil packet and grilled it.  If you aren't into too much heat, cut back on the red pepper flakes and the cayenne pepper.  If you are feeling adventurous, though, I encourage you to try this one.  If you don't do fish, this spice mix will work on chicken or shrimp.

The key to this dish, once again, is the sauce.  The lemon aioli softens the blow of the heat.  It cools your tongue after the fish sets it aflame! So, what's aioli, you ask?   Aioli is a sauce that is traditionally made with garlic, olive oil, eggs, and lemon. In this recipe, I use mayonnaise instead of the oil and eggs to simplify things.  Once you try this aioli and you find you like it, check online for other aioli recipes, there are many and they are good! (if you want some of mine, shoot me an email and I'd be glad to share then with you before I post them)

Firecracker Tilapia with Lemon Aioli

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes

1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2-4 Tilapia fillets

2 Tablespoons olive oil 

Lemon Aioli

1/2 cup mayonnaise (you can use light mayo)

1 clove of garlic, minced 

2.5 Tablespoons lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary or chives (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Prepare a baking dish with non stick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine all of the aioli ingredients together.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

In another small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together except the fish and the olive oil.  Brush the fish with olive oil.  Sprinkle both sides of each fillet with the spice mixture and place in prepared baking dish.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Serve with aioli. Enjoy!