Here’s another post in which I rave about the ease of cooking seafood, and also complain about my complete ineptitude where aioli is concerned.

Firstly, a reiteration: Cooking seafood is easy. It is so easy that practically anyone can cook it. This is a very simple recipe - one of the simplest I’ve ever posted, probably - thanks to the removal of the intended condiment accompaniment.

Which brings me to my complaint: aioli. A seemingly simple, delicious garlic mayonnaise that can bring experienced home cooks to their knees. I seem to be able to make aoili perfectly only when its lucky stars align, but the rest of the time it’s a broken or runny mess.

So alas, the lemon aioli I’d envisioned for this dish became nothing more than a mass of dirty whisks and spatulas, several oily containers with coagulated bits of egg yolk, cups of inedible grease and dashed hopes. All this despite Colin’s noble effort to find a way to rescue my poor, lost aioli. He tapped away at my laptop at the kitchen table, doing aioli reconnaissance like some laptop-tapping reconnaissance-gathering person in spy movies where the whole operation is saved by their intelligence-gathering agility. 

Briefly put, I screwed up the aioli, Colin found several potentially rehabilitating methods, none of which worked, and then I threw a tantrum and banged things around in the kitchen for a little while before moving on with my life and, more importantly, dinner, for goodness’ sake. 

Ultimately, we decided that this tilapia was perfect just the way it was: moist on the inside, crunchy and well seasoned on the outside. I squeezed a bit of lemon juice on mine. Colin, who regards lemon as the invasive species of the culinary habitat, did not.

We ate ours with asparagus, boiled just until flexible but not limp. I can’t think of a seasonal, green vegetable accompaniment that wouldn’t do just as well.

Pan Fried Tilapia with Cornmeal and Parsley

• 2 tilapia fillets
• extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 generous pinch coarsely ground sea salt
• black pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• lemon wedges for serving

Place tilapia on a plate or in a bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Add minced parsley and turn to coat evenly. Set aside. Mix cornmeal, flour, sea salt and pepper. Lay each fillet in the cornmeal mixture, turning and patting to coat completely.

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat until the oil begins to smoke. Place tilapia in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the crust is golden brown and the fish is cooked through. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2.