By A recovery week. I slept. I took Wednesday and Friday off from Banchan Labs. I did laundry. I read a novel. I walked in Volunteer Park. I cooked dinner every night in my own home. I did not check Instagram more than once a day.
James was sick Tuesday with a mild cold. I made him chicken juk and made him rest. He was grateful in the slightly surprised way he gets when I take care of him. He said, "You are a good wife." I said, "I am getting better at it." It is true. I am still learning how to be the attentive one. I was so used to being cared for — by James, by Dr. Yoon, by Karen — that the reversal of roles can catch me off guard. I am trying.
Karen and David had a quiet week. Rosa came the usual four mornings. Karen went to book club. David went to birdwatching. They ate leftover Thanksgiving pie for four nights. Karen reported this to me with a kind of pride. She said, "We did not waste anything."
Dr. Yoon: we had a long session about pacing. She said, "You started a company less than a month ago. You cannot maintain this pace." I said, "I know." She said, "What would sustainable look like?" I said, "Eight to six on weekdays. Half a day Saturday. Sundays off." She said, "That is still fifty-two hours. That is a lot. Start with it. We will see." I am going to try to hold to eight to six starting next week.
Jisoo wrote a long letter this week that was not about Banchan Labs or the wedding or reunion. It was about her life in Busan. She told me about a new book she had been reading (a novel about a woman who returns to her rural hometown after years in the city). She told me about a fight she had had with Eunji about something small (the way Eunji had spoken to Jun-ho at dinner). She told me about her prayer routine. She told me she had been sleeping better since the American trip. She was reporting her life, the way you report your life to a relative who knows the texture of your days. This is what I have wanted all year. Daily life. She is giving it to me.
The recipe this week is my kimchi jjigae, which I made Wednesday, because the refrigerator had ten-week-old kimchi that was screaming to be used. Sour, deep, pork belly, tofu, anchovy stock, a spoonful of gochujang. I have been making this stew for six years. I have been making it weekly for two years. It is, increasingly, the dish I cook when I do not have to think, when my body wants something I can trust. I ate a bowl. James ate a bowl. We watched an old movie. We went to bed at nine. It was a good day.
Recovery weeks call for recipes that ask almost nothing of you — no technique to remember, no timing to stress over, just heat and a pan and something that comes out right. After a week of sleeping in, walking slowly through Volunteer Park, and letting myself be still, I wanted a dinner that matched that energy: light, clean, a little bright from the lemon, with the mushrooms adding just enough earthiness to feel grounding. This lemon-pepper tilapia is that dish for me — the one I reach for when I want to cook without performing cooking, when the goal is simply to feed us something good and go to bed early.
Lemon-Pepper Tilapia with Mushrooms
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 2 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz each)
- 1 tsp lemon-pepper seasoning
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 8 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Lemon slices, for serving
Instructions
- Season the fish. Pat tilapia fillets dry with a paper towel. Combine lemon-pepper seasoning, garlic powder, and salt in a small bowl, then rub evenly over both sides of each fillet.
- Cook the mushrooms. Heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes until golden on one side. Stir and cook another 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Transfer mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
- Sear the tilapia. Add remaining 1/2 tbsp olive oil to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tilapia fillets and cook 3–4 minutes per side, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork. Transfer to serving plates.
- Make the pan sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter to the skillet and let it melt, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Return mushrooms to the pan and toss to coat, about 1 minute.
- Serve. Spoon mushrooms and pan sauce over the tilapia fillets. Scatter chopped parsley over the top and serve with lemon slices alongside.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 290 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 7g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 420mg