Almond Crusted Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sauce

I made this for Mother's Day and it.is.fantastic! Definitely savory enough and different enough for a special occasion! I used tilapia, but any white fresh fish would work well. The sauce is worth the work! The recipe serves 2 and is from Bahama Breeze restaurant.

Almond Crusted Tilapia

2 Tbsp olive oil
4 tilapia filets
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Almond Crust (recipe below)
1/2 cup Lemon Butter Sauce (recipe below)

Lightly season the filets on both sides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes. Top filets with Almond Crust and continue baking for an additional 7-10 minutes. Transfer filets to warm serving plate and top with hot lemon butter sauce.

Almond Crust

1 slice of fresh white bread
1/4 cup honey roasted sliced almonds (I used regular)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Place slive of bread into a food processor or blender and pulse to make course bread crumbs. Measure out 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Place all the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and mix to evenly combine. {This almost has a stuffing consistency and will need to be spooned and pressed onto the filets.}

Lemon Butter Sauce

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 Tbsp white wine
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 cup heavy cream
3 threads Saffron (super expensive! I did not use)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter cubes, cold
salt and white pepper to taste
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cold water

Add the oil to a heated small sauce pan. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the wine and thyme; reduce by half. Add the cream, saffron and lemon juice; bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat to low. Add the butter cubes and stir until combined. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl and add slowly to the sauce, while stirring until thickened. Season the sauce with salt and white pepper to taste. Strain the sauce through a find mesh strainer and serve hot. {This is a most fantastic sauce! Totally makes the dish!}