Fish Tacos and "I Love You, Man"

A coastal favorite for years now, fish tacos are becoming increasingly common on menus everywhere. Using a mild flavored and meaty fish like tilapia is the perfect choice for these tacos. They hold up great and compliment the flavors perfectly. Coating in panko bread crumbs and frying them in a skillet gives the fish a great crispy coating. Pile the crispy fillets with an avocado creme, fresh cut veggies, and shredded cheese and this is a great meal to enjoy with friends and family. Even if you're not a big fan of seafood, I think you'll find tilapia's mild flavor to be really delicious and perfect for fish tacos! This weeks movie, the 2009 comedy, "I love you, Man" is a great film to enjoy while dinning on this meal. Not only will the Southern California setting put you in mind of all the flavors, but Peter and Sydney even enjoy some fish tacos themselves in the one scene.

1lb of Tilapia
2 cups of flour
2 eggs
2 cups of Panko bread crumbs
Flour or Corn Tortillas
1 Avocado
½ cup of sour cream
2 limes
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
Ice berg Lettuce
Shredded Cheese
1 Fresh Tomato
1 Fresh Red Bell Pepper
1 Fresh red onion
Fresh Cilantro

To make the avocado creme, scoop the avocado into a mixing bowl and add the juice of a haf of lime over top. The lime adds great flavor and of course will keep the avocado from browning. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper, about a teaspoon of freshly cut cilantro(optional), and add the sour cream. Mix together until the avocado is completely mashed into the sour cream - we want this to be a very smooth mixture. If you have any half and half or heavy cream, add about a tablespoon or two.

Before you stat cooking your fish, now is a perfect time to get the rest of your toppings ready. Just finely dice your red onions and your tomato and slice the lettuce as thinly as you can. I like the slice the bell pepper into strips and cut the limes into wedges. Shred whatever cheese you desire.

To prep the fish, season the fillets with pinch of salt and pepper. Get three shallow dishes and place them in a row on your counter top near your stove. In the first bowl, add the 2 cups of flour. In the second bowl crack in the two eggs and whisk the eggs together. Finally in the last bowl add your panko bread crumbs. Make sure you dip the fish in this order. The flour helps the egg stick to the fillet better and the egg will help the pankos stick. Dipping the fish fillets in the flour, then egg, and then the bread crumbs will provide us with a perfectly coated fillet. Make sure you get a nice coating on each piece.

Once the fillets are coated, heat about 2 tablespoon of olive oil and tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Preheat your oven to 225 degrees and add your tortillas in the oven wrapped in tin foil. Place the fish in the skillet and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes on both sides until the breading is crispy and golden brown. Put the tilapia in the oven on a baking tray to keep warm while you continue to cook the rest of the fish. Add more olive oil as need when frying the next batch of fish.

Once the fish has all been fried and your tortillas have been warmed through you can stat building your tacos anyway you'd like. There is no wrong way to do this step so have fun with it and add as much of anything!! This is a great early summer meal to enjoy on a weekend with your special someone or it's a great dinner idea to invite a bunch of friends over, enjoy some fish tacos, a few cold beers, and watch a great movie. With this meal I recommend "I love you, Man" starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, and Rashida Jones.

Paul Rudd plays Peter Klaven, a young real estate agent who has just popped the big question to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). Excited to spend the rest of their lives together, Zooey is quick to go down her long list of close friends to tell them the great news. When it's Peter's turn to spread the word, they both realize he really doesn't have any close male companions. While having dinner with Peter's family, they can't recall any good friends Peter has had and conclude he's always been closer to his girlfriends.

Now trying to find a "man friend", Peter searches the internet and asks his family to try and set him up with some guys. The task at hand isn't quite as easy as it sounds. Peter finds it hard to connect with some of the guys he's set up with and one friend his mother tried to set him up with wasn't looking to just make a causal friend to grab a beer after work. When Peter seems destined to be the only man in his wedding party, he meets Sydney (Jason Segel) at an open house Peter was hosting.

After a few awkward attempts to ask Sydney to grab a few drinks one night. Soon after, the two become close friends and spend as much time as possible together. Zooey may have gotten more than she wished for as she soon sees that Pete is spending more time with Sydney than he spends with her. "I love you, Man" is a laugh out loud comedy with strong performances by Rudd and Segel. Check out the trailer by clicking here.