Not everything has to be Top Ramen or takeaway. I find that I can spend at least $20 dollars at the store and come away with enough ingredients to make a fairly healthy and nutritious meal. And last night, as a cold cold wind was blowing through the trees, I made something really yummy for myself. Soon I will be making yummyliciousness for two, but for now, it’s just me (and the two furry beasts).

Here in the South a traditional breakfast dish is fish’n'grits. Usually the fish is catfish or trout and it’s fried.

Don’t get me wrong: I liked fried. But I don’t own a FryDaddy nor do I wish set up a pan of boiling oil in the kitchen and live with the stink of it for the rest of the foreseeable future.

So I found a recipe that called for making some spicy baked white-fleshed fish and that sounded more my speed. It was crazy easy; you just rub the raw filets with an impromptu spice mix, bake, then slather with a compound butter afterwards.

I apologize for the slightly less appetizing photo, by the way. The filet flipped as I was placing it down and trying to fix would have messed up the entire dish into something even uglier. I forget that thin filets are very delicate.

Spicy Tilapia with Chipotle Butter

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp. paprika (I used smoked)

4 4oz. tilapia fillets

1 tbl. butter, softened

1 to 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, finely minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a bowl, combine cumin, paprika, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Rub into the fish. Transfer to a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Meanwhile, combine butter and chile. When fish has cooked, transfer to serving plate and spread butter evenly over fish.

I was originally going to serve this over some jasmine rice, but as I stated before, I wanted to do something Southern.

Even though I’ve lived here most of my life, I’ve never really been a big fan of grits. However, I am a big fan of polenta, though admittedly polenta is just Italian grits. The cheesy slightly gritty texture works so well with the spiciness and tenderness of the fish that this dish was a really great idea.

Cheesy Polenta

2 1/2 cups of milk

1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp. chopped garlic

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 cup plain yellow corn meal

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 grated or shredded Parmesan cheese

Combine milk, water, butter, garlic, salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat.

Add corn meal, whisking constantly, until well-blended. Reduce heat to low and cook 8 to 10 minutes, whisking often, until thickened.

Stir in cheese, mixing well. Serve polenta soft as you would grits.