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Tilapia Included In Cookbook

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By JAMIE PILARCZYK, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 6, 2007

Updated: 10/04/2007 11:00 pm

DAVIS ISLANDS - The aroma of seasoned tilapia being lightly fried in a drizzle of olive oil drew members of the Miller family out of the woodwork.

The chef, 12-year-old Preston Miller, was at ease amid the rotating cast coming into the kitchen to see what their stomachs had sensed - dinner. The dish is one of Preston's specialties. So is pork tenderloin.

'Well, the recipes are not mine, they're hers,' said the Wilson Middle School seventh-grader, pointing to his mother, Julia.

'Every good chef learned his stuff from someone else,' Julia Miller replied, helping her son bread the fish.

'Mom, can you help me grind the salt and pepper?' Preston asked, his right hand in a camouflage cast because of a finger broken during a Bayshore Little League game.

The Millers - including dad Jim and son Derek, 17, a Plant High junior - decided to submit the recipe to 'A Taste of the Islands - A Collection of Recipes from Davis Islands and South Tampa,' to be published by the Davis Islands Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber has collected about half of the 150 recipes it aims to have for the cookbook, which will raise money for the organization. South Tampa residents and businesses can submit recipes until Nov. 1. The book will be available in Davis Islands businesses by Thanksgiving and will cost $12 to $14.

'We're hoping to sell at the least 300,' said chamber President Jennifer Fadal, owner of Wag Pet Emporium. 'Then the goal is to print a new cookbook every other year.'
Fadal got the idea after seeing a similar cookbook produced by the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce. She saw similarities between that community, where her parents live, and Davis Islands.

'It's a good project to bring the community together,' Fadal said.

Preston and his mom have worked together in the kitchen for the past two years, preparing recipes that reflect her Sicilian-Spanish heritage.

'I'm highly motivated because I want my family to eat well,' said Miller, a Realtor and co-vice president of marketing for the Davis Islands chamber.

They submitted the tilapia recipe, in part, because of its reputation with Preston's classmates. When he was a Gorrie Elementary third-grader, he persuaded his mother, despite her apprehension, to bring in the dish for his classmates, who were assembling a cookbook.

Much to her surprise, they wiped their plates clean.

The next year, the Gorrie class asked her to bring in the fish for a party. When she runs into those students now, they call her the 'Fish Lady.'

'I was thinking everyone would like it because I thought it was one of the best foods my mom makes,' said Preston, who wants to be a chef and own a restaurant.

TASTE OF THE ISLANDS

The Davis Islands Chamber of Commerce is seeking recipes for appetizers, pet treats, tailgating, Gasparilla and main dishes for its cookbook, 'A Taste of the Islands - A Collection of Recipes from Davis Islands and South Tampa.' To submit a recipe:

•Mail to 304 E. Davis Blvd., Suite C, Tampa FL 33606, Attn: Jennifer Fadal
•E-mail to Summer Miller at summermillertampabay @yahoo.com or to Jennifer Dehnert at dehnertjj@aol.com

•Call Summer Miller at (813) 270-5735

•Visit www.davisislands.net

PRESTON MILLER'S FAMOUS BREADED FISH

2 eggs

2 cups Vigo Italian-style bread crumbs

2 pounds fish fillets (such as tilapia or salmon)

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Garlic powder

Key lime wedges (can use lemons)

Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and put bread crumbs in another; dip fish in egg, then in bread crumbs to cover; coat bottom of nonstick frying pan with olive oil; fry fish on medium heat, lightly sprinkling with salt, pepper and garlic powder; saute for about four minutes a side or until cooked through; place on a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm until all the fillets are cooked; squeeze fresh Key lime juice over fish and serve.

Reporter Jamie Pilarczyk can be reached at (813) 835-2114 or jpilarczyk@tampatrib.com.

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