Sunday Feast № 31 | Crispy Tilapia with Spicy Thai Basil Sauce

Ah dear Thai basil, you just keep on growing! Also, it is time to clean out the freezer from those frozen tilapia fillets (fresh is always nicer, but stocking food is a must). How can I marry you both? Thai basil meet tilapia fillets. Tilapia fillets meet Thai basil. And lets coax this relationship along with a dowry of matching staples. The recipe is from Sel et Sucre, and considering that I more often than not have non-panko bread crumbs (for such comforts as breaded pork cutlet), panko breading was a textural heaven for the mouth with that funky Thai basil sauce. Up for many returns. Thank you Thai basil!

~1½ lb/700 g tilapia fillets ½ cup flour 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water 1 cup panko bread crumbs 1 tbsp + 3 tbsp coconut oil 6 shallots minced 4 garlic cloves minced 6 chili peppers sliced 1 yellow bell pepper ¼ cup stock ¼ cup fish sauce 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp brown sugar juice of ½ lime 1 cup Thai basil leaves

Pat dry tilapia fillets with a paper towel. Set up a plate with flour, a bowl with egg beaten with water, a plate with panko bread crumbs. Dredge each fillet in the flour, followed by egg wash, followed by the panko bread crumbs, and set aside. In a medium pot, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil over medium-high heat, then sautée the shallots, garlic, chili peppers, bell pepper, until shallots start to darken and bell pepper is softened, ~ 5 min. Add stock, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and lime juice, and stir thouroughly. Bring to boil and let simmer until slightly reduced, ~5 min. Stir in Thai basil leaves, and cook until fragrant, ~1-2 min, then lower heat to the lowest setting to keep warm until ready to serve. In a large sautée pan, heat 3 tbsp coconut oil over high heat, then add the coated tilapia fillets. Do not crowd the pan and cook in batches. Cook the fillets until the bottom is crispy and browned, ~3-5 min. Flip the fish and continue cooking until the other side is crispy and browned, and the fillets can be easily flaked with a fork, so another ~3-5 min. Remove each fillet to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve the crispy tilapia fillets topped with Thai basil sauce.