What should I do with tilapia?
My husband and I are on the cleanse so there are some restrictions:
No dairy, no white rice/carbs of any kind, no corn. Basically just a ton of veggies, fruits, nuts and brown rice.
How can I make tilapia be tasty with these restrictions? Can anyone come up with some creative ideas?
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27 Comments:
I don't know if this will fit with your restrictions, but you could do a fish taco without the tortilla. Fry some lightly seasoned tilapia in a non-stick pan and squeeze lime juice over it while it is cooking. Then top it off with a chipotle-lime-mayo mixture, pico de gallo, and some thinly sliced cabbage. You have have a brown rice and black bean mixture on the side.
Zachary at 11:59AM on 02/22/09
I love to cook tilapia with a simple olive and tomato sauce. Just season the fish with salt and pepper and sear on both sides over high heat until cooked through. Remove to a plate, then lower the heat in the pan and add a dash of olive oil. Throw in a handful of chopped parsley and minced garlic, stir for 30 seconds or so, then add about a cup of cherry tomatoes and pitted olives. Saute until the tomatoes are soft and starting to break open. Season again to taste, then pour the whole mixture over the fish. Easy and delicious!
cwblack at 12:16PM on 02/22/09
I bake tilapia with spinach & tomatoes, and my friends and family like it a lot.
Saute some thinly sliced red onions, wilt spinach (or use frozen, thawed and drained spinach, in which case, no extra cooking required), mix them together and add: cored, seeded and diced tomatoes (a couple), basil chiffonade, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Prep the fish by squeezing lemon juice over it and seasoning it with salt, pepper, cumin and paprika on both sides.
Layer everything in a baking dish (I use Pyrex): a bit of olive oil on the bottom, 1/3 of the spinach mixture, fish, the rest of the spinach mixture. Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for about 20-25 min at 360º-380ºF (depending on your oven).
brooke29 at 12:19PM on 02/22/09
I made Ina Garten's roasted striped bass recipe using tilapia just a few days ago. It was surprisingly good, considering I don't really care for tilapia.
She makes a tomato & white-wine sauce and bakes the fish with the sauce on top.
If you're looking for heart-healthy fish high in Omega-3, however, tilapia is not the place to get it. It's high in Omega-6 and very, very low in Omega-3.
buffy at 12:29PM on 02/22/09
Any kind of fruit salsa
tugttw at 12:55PM on 02/22/09
my bil sprinkles s&p and garlic on both sides then drizzles olive oil and puts lemon slices on top then bakes it. i'm not a fish fan but it comes out pretty good.
dearrie at 12:57PM on 02/22/09
Oh yeah, what tugttw said. It's really nice with mango salsa. I bread it and pan-fry it first in a little olive oil. I suppose you could use brown rice flour for the breading--would probably give it a nice, nutty crunch.
buffy at 12:59PM on 02/22/09
my husband's not really a fan of tilapia, but he's enjoyed it when i've covered it in pesto and baked it in the oven, or when made as follows: caramelize onions and artichoke hearts in a pan, add a can of diced peeled tomatoes (and whatever seasonings you want) and simmer, then add the fish and cook until the fish is done. i also recently made some cod, and i think it would work for tilapia too - put a piece of fish in a foil packet, with olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon slices and some parsley/tarragon/rosemary (whatever herbs you want) and bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. the foil seals all the juices in and keeps everything nice and moist.
to keep things healthy but flavorful, think fresh - citrus flavors, fresh herbs, etc.
billyburgwife at 1:04PM on 02/22/09
Thanks a lot everyone! I think we are going with the spinach/tomato combo but I will definitely keep the other ones in mind to try next time!
Happy eating!
lilfrench at 1:49PM on 02/22/09
Poach in a miso and shitake mushroom broth
GrimChef at 2:04PM on 02/22/09
I'm not a big fan of tilapia but living in a landlocked state on a modest salary, my options are extremely limited (sob... what a sad thing as a Japanese person! I don't get much sympathy though, my bf just calls me a fish snob.)
I found that this method works for not-so-great fish (must be thin like tilapia for this method)
-Mix mayo with salt, lime or lemon juice, and curry powder.
-Spread the mayo mix on the fish and broil until golden.
To dress up brown rice, I saute garlic, onion and diced red bell peppers with some olive oil, and mix that into cooked rice with tons of parsley or cilantro. Looks pretty too.
hmw0029 at 2:37PM on 02/22/09
tilapia has such a muddy taste to me lately - it's farm raised...
i used to like it.
pooch at 6:59PM on 02/22/09
Sometimes, I bread it with a little fine-ground cornmeal then flash-saute it in non-stick pan with a bit of olive oil. I do spinach or another leafy green on the side.
It's also good sauteed with butter with a few sliced almonds added, then poured on top of the fish.
Tilapia can be a little muddy tasting sometimes--depends on where it's farmed I think.
FoodieSearching at 8:00PM on 02/22/09
Brooke29--
We just stuffed ourselves on your tilapia suggestion and it was amazing! I added some mushrooms I had left over and some brine from some greek olives we had. I sauteed everything in an oven safe pan and just stuck that right in the oven to cut down on dishes. Served with some brown rice to soak up the juices.
Thanks so much for your suggestion. It will definitely be a standard in our kitchen, cleanse or not!
lilfrench at 8:04PM on 02/22/09
@lilfrench - you are so very welcome! I'm very pleased to hear you guys loved it. I often roast the red onions in the same pan I later make the fish, too, for the same reason - to cut down on dishes. Mushrooms sound like a really good addition, as well as olive brine. Ans yes, I forgot to mention it, but you did just that - I usually serve it over brown rice. So glad it worked for you!
brooke29 at 9:00PM on 02/22/09
Throw it out. It's the most tasteless fish you can find.
1stmakearoux at 8:50AM on 02/23/09
What 1st said!
izatryt at 8:57AM on 02/23/09
@brooke29 ~ your recipe sounds delicious, but I question the onions. I love onions, but something about pairing onions with fish just doesn't appeal to me - at all. There's rarely a meal I prepare without them, but never with fish. I can't say I've ever had it and didn't like it, I'm just sure I'd hate it. Am I alone here?
PerkyMac at 9:22AM on 02/23/09
You don't do tartar sauce with fish? My tartar sauce has big chunks of onion and there are very few fish that we prepare that don't have a big bowl of the sauce to go along.
ocarol at 10:10AM on 02/23/09
Oh, Perky! How sad! My favorite way of preparing salmon involves a ton of onions! Sweat slices in butter with s/p until nice and soft, put them in the bottom of a baking dish, put salmon fillets on top (work them down into the onions so the flavors are infused while baking), and spread apple butter on top of the salmon. Bake until salmon is done. Incredible.
buffy at 10:45AM on 02/23/09
@ocarol - I love tartar sauce, but I've never made it with onion and I don't think it's ever been served to me with onion. Never thought about it, so it's possible.
I did realize, after I posted, that I put shallots in scampi, so maybe I do like onions with some fish. Brooke's recipe sounds divine, and I'm going to try it next time I get a nice filet of mild fish.
PerkyMac at 10:48AM on 02/23/09
@Perky - funny, when you say "pairing onions with fish" it almost sounds odd. But my father's favourite fish preparation was as follows (we're talking about halibut-type fish, with thick fillets): liberally season fish pieces with salt and lemon pepper, dredge in flour, pan-fry until golden. Then, brown lots of onions. When serving, top the fish with the browned onions. Since I saw this often growing up, to me onions do not seem out of order in fish dishes. Oh, and of course, gefilte fish is prepared with lots of onions. And I have a recipe for Moroccan-style fish, which also includes onions (and plenty of coriander or cilantro), if I'm not mistaken. So I guess it depends on how you do it, maybe?
brooke29 at 11:15AM on 02/23/09
Ok, Brooke and Buffy have convinced me. I've had lots of halibut (just for the hell of it) and salmon, but no gefilte fish. Maybe I'll have some of that gaelic gefilte for St. Patty's Day, with lox and green onion bagels!
PerkyMac at 11:58AM on 02/23/09
I love tilapia! Not as much as I enjoy fish like salmon, which is a bit more flavorful, but it's still very good. I've never tried it with onions and spinach, but I might have to try that now. I really love it blackened, though I also enjoy it grilled with pineapple-mango salsa. Or with a very light white wine/garlic/butter sauce. I also had it once with a dijonaisse sauce, which I have no idea how to prepare, but if you can find a recipe like that, it certainly makes it very flavorful!
cycorider at 12:00PM on 02/23/09
I'm open to any food combination but I think I tend to use onions for fish with robust flavors (like sardine, mackerel and salmon) and scallions for mild-flavored fish. Oh I miss good fish so much :-(
hmw0029 at 12:03PM on 02/23/09
Oh and, I buy tilapia all the time because it's priced right and I like the mild taste. If you like a crunchy crust (like fried fish), you could season it, dip it in beaten egg or egg whites, then in crushed almonds or pistachios. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake, broil, or grill.
PerkyMac at 12:10PM on 02/23/09
A frew weeks ago I made a very simple sandwich with tilapia: tilapia, tomato, avocado sandwich!
My friend made it a few days later and also loved it. Hope you'll give it a try.
I also like cooking tilapia in a bit of oil with lemon juice and capers.
orchidgirl at 10:54AM on 02/24/09