Chili-Rubbed Tilapia

David and I are pretty wimpy when it comes to spicy foods. Neither of us can tolerate heat very well, so when I found this recipe for Chili-Rubbed Tilapia, I was a little wary of trying it. It sounded so good though, that I went ahead and tried it. It turned out to be one of the best things we had last week for dinner!
The original recipe included a side dish of asparagus, but I decided to go with broccoli. It's not that we don't like asparagus (in fact, we love it), but it's just kind of expensive. We wait around for spring to harvest Mama's asparagus, and we have it at least three times a week. Oh, we get spoiled in the spring. The broccoli was a pretty good substitute, but I'll have to try it again this spring and use some fresh asparagus.

Chili-Rubbed Tilapia with Broccoli and Lemon

Adapted from a recipe from Heather's Website

1 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets

2 Tbs. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt, divided

4 tilapia fillets (about 5 oz. each)

1 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1.5 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Bring 1 inch of water to boil in a large pan. Place broccoli in a steamer basket; place basket in pan. Cover and steam for 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Transfer to a large plate; spread out to cool.

Combine chili powder, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp. salt on a separate plate. Dredge fillets in mixture to coat. Heat 1 Tbs. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tilapia and cook 5-7 minutes, gently turning halfway. Fish will be done when it is opaque in the center and flakes easily. Remove fish from skillet and cover to keep warm. Immediately add lemon juice, remaining salt, and 1 tsp. oil to pan. Add broccoli and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly until broccoli is coated and heated through. Serve broccoli with tilapia.