For a long time I thought tilapia was some kind of garbage fish. People talked about it with derision most often reserved for the Fillet-O-Fish or other generic whitefish battered and deep fried. But tilapia might be one of the better values currently in your local market’s sea food section. It’s cheap, low on the food chain, and farm raised, which makes it affordable, low in mercury and sustainable. And as long as you buy from farms with good regulation and safety practices, you can be assured of getting good, firm fillets that will stand up to a nice pan sear. Bonus? It provides some of the same omega 3 fatty acids as its oilier, mercury filled cousins.

This past weekend I picked up a couple tilapia fillets and brought them home. With some shallots and bacon I was able to throw together a simple, easy fish course (with bacon) in about 30 minutes, including prep. And it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 8 strips of bacon
• 4 shallots
• 4 tilapia fillets
• 1/2 cup water or fish stock
• 2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (or more, to taste)
• 2 tsp honey (or more, to taste)
• kosher salt

Begin by heating a pan over medium heat. While the pan heats, coarsely chop the bacon and slice the shallots into discs about a quarter-inch thick. When the pan is heated, add the bacon, stir briefly and then let it sit for six minutes (or as directed on your bacon’s packaging). Flip the pieces, and gently stir in the shallots. Let the mix cook an additional four minutes. Turn up the heat just a bit, and remove the bacon and shallots with a slotted spoon.

By the time you’ve got the bacon and shallots out of the pan, it should be hot enough for the fillets. Place them gently in the pan and sear on one side about two minutes. Flip, and sear on the other side an additional two minutes. Don’t move them or mess with them or anything. You want constant, prolonged contact with the pan to get good caramelization.

Remove the fillets to plates, then add the stock to the pan to deglaze it. Add the honey and vinegar to bring some sweetness and acid to the sauce and reduce the hit to low for several minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary. Drizzle the sauce on the fillets, then top with a smattering of the bacon and shallots. Enjoy!

I first heard of this recipe during an Anthony Bourdain special. The one set at Dufresne’s  WD-50, I think. One of the guests (maybe a camera man) mentioned his mom used to make him Brussels sprouts with mayonnaise and bacon, and everyone said it sounded amazing. I had to agree.  But when I tried to find a recipe I came up empty, the only mention being a show summary on the No Reservations blog. So I improvised the following: Ingredients:

• One package fresh Brussels sprouts
• Three (or more) thick-cut bacon slices
• Mayonnaise (about two teaspoons for each serving)

Directions Begin by salting some water and bringing it to a boil. While the water heats, preheat the oven to 400f, and slice each Brussels sprout nearly through, leaving just a bit on the stem end. Once the water is boiling, toss in the Brussels sprouts and boil them for five minutes. Use this time to chop up the bacon into half-inch pieces. Once the Brussels sprouts are finished boiling, drain them, then spread them in a single layer in a roasting pan or half sheet pan (or any pan with a lip, really). Sprinkle the bacon over top of them, and then set them in the oven for 30 minutes. When they’re done, take them out of the oven, and give them a careful stir to integrate all the bacon flavor. To plate, get a generous helping of sprouts and bacon and top with just enough mayonnaise to mix well. I made mine the other night, and they were so good I laughed out loud when I had my first bite.

This past Saturday afforded me such luxury, and I took a few selfish minutes to cook up a four-egg omelet for one.  I had a busy day ahead and needed my strength (plus, grilled onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese–I get selfish when faced with pure deliciousness).

Ingredients (serves one, two, if you have a side item)
2 strips of bacon, diced
1/4 medium onion, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
4 eggs, beaten
grated cheddar cheese (to taste, but you’re probably going to want a quarter-cup)
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Note: you’ll also want a good non-stick pan (trust me on this one.  Non-stick pans are perfect for cooking eggs, and this is no exception)

Technique
dice

Method
low heat

First, set out four eggs. Let them warm a bit. Eggs closer to room temperature cook more evenly and more predictably than cold ones. So set out the eggs and brew your coffee. Then place the bacon in a cold skillet and set the skillet on a burner, medium heat.  Let the pan come to temperature.  When the bacon begins to sizzle, let it go for about a minute, then add the diced onion.  Stir occasionally for three minutes or so, then add the bell pepper.  Stir occasionally for another five minutes. You can also use this time to beat the eggs. Once the onion has gone translucent and browned a bit, the bacon has crisped some and the peppers are soft, remove all the ingredients to a bowl.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the eggs.  Leave them be.  If you need to, swirl the pan gently so the eggs cover the bottom completely, then let them cook a while, approximately four minutes.

What to look for: the gentle heat should prevent the bottom from burning.  The omelet will be ready to fill and fold when the eggs on the top achieve a jelly-like consistency in just a thin layer above a pale, custardy layer.  Now it’s time to fill the omelet.

Place 1/3 the filling ingredients near the center of the omelet, but slightly off center and top with half the cheese.  With a rubber spatula, fold over the right third of the omelet, then the left third (or vice-versa, depending).  Working quickly, slide the omelet to a plate and top with the remaining bacon, onion, pepper and cheese.  If you let it stand for another 30 seconds, the eggs inside will heat through and firm up, and you’ll be able to enjoy your perfect omelet with the sun streaming in through the living room windows and the sounds of a house waking into itself around you.