Seasoned Tilapia with Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto

Inspiration: I really love tilapia. I know that a lot of people don’t really love this kind of fish, but I like it because it has a mild flavor and a flaky texture, and I like it because it’s cheap. I’d love to eat halibut and crab and lobster several times a week, but I really just can’t afford that. So I do love tilapia. And I’m always looking for new ways to cook it that I can add to my rotation.

What we Loved: I was drawn to this recipe because it has layers of flavor. The fish is coated in a rub that gives it a sweet and smoky flavor, and then it’s topped with a yellow pepper cilantro pesto that layers in a fresh, garlicy vegetable flavor. I really enjoyed the contrast between the two sets of flavor on the fish, and I always think that a healthy portion of cilantro adds a great freshness to a dish, too. This is a really good, healthy recipe for fish when you’re looking for something that’s a bit more than just a seasoned and baked filet. I served this with hearts of palm and some homemade refried beans for a super healthy supper.

Helpful Hints: While I did enjoy this a lot, I thought that the rub for the fish was a touch on the sweet side. Even though I’m always tempted by main course recipes that combine sweet and savory, especially in the fall time when I want to combine apples with pork or make cinnamon pan sauces, I know that I just really dislike any sweet and savory combinations when it comes to my main dish. I’m not sure what it is, but I just can’t handle a fruit sauce on my chicken, pineapple on my ham, or a maple glaze on my fish. So next time, I would leave the brown sugar completely out of the rub. That being said, if you enjoy sweet and savory main courses, then you would probably like to keep the brown sugar included. Also, when making pesto, I never use the large amount of oil that a recipe calls for. I only drizzle in just enough so that it’s creamy, which saves on a lot of calories.

Seasoned Tilapia with Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto
Source: Ezra Pound Cake, originally from Bobby Flay

I cut the original rub recipe in half to serve two. I made the entire batch of pesto, and I froze the leftovers in an ice cube tray for later. I also adapted this recipe to be cooked inside, rather than to be grilled. Here’s the recipe as I made it.

For the Rub:
1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
1/2 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon chile de arbol powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

For the Yellow Pepper Cilantro Pesto:
2 yellow bell peppers, roasated, peeled, and seeded
1 large clove garlic
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

For the fish:
2 tilapia filets
Extra virgin olive oil
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. Combine all of the rub ingredients in a bowl, and set aside.

2. Place the peppers, garlic, pine nuts, cilantro, and cheese in a food processor, and process until combined. Drizzle in as much olive oil as necessary to make the pesto as creamy as you’d like. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Rub each filet with the seasoning mixture. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a saute pan, enough to lightly coat the bottom. Saute until the fish flakes easily with a fork, approximately 5 minutes per side.

4. Top each filet with some of the pesto, and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Cornmeal-Crusted Orange Roughy with Roasted Red Pepper Polenta

Cuisine: Southwest

Inspiration: I love cooking with fish. During the week, I feel great when we eat really healthy meals, and preparing supper with fish is one of the easiest ways to do that. We usually eat seafood at least twice per week, and a couple of my new cooking goals are to experiment more with the kinds of fish that we eat and to experiment more with creating my own recipes. This meal is a result of both efforts.

What we Loved: I loved the overall flavor of this dish. I simply mixed some roasted red pepper spread into my polenta, and it created a really strong red pepper flavor and a gorgeous color. I couldn’t get over how pretty the polenta looked on the plate! The simple corn salsa that I threw together also complimented both the polenta and the fish really well, and I particularly liked the added flavor and crunch of the red onions, which I would be more liberal with next time.

Helpful Hints: Orange roughy is a bit more “fishy” than some other types of fish, so if you don’t like that fishy flavor, I’d recommend using tilapia. Tilapia is very mild and would work perfectly with this dish. 

Other Fish Recipes: grilled mahi-mahi with avocado salsa, lemon pesto swordfish

Cornmeal-Crusted Orange Roughy with Roasted Red Pepper Polenta
Source: Original Recipe to serve 2

Orange roughy filets (I used four small)
1/8 cup cornmeal
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Ground cumin
Ground coriander
Extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup polenta
1/3 cup Trader Joe’s roasted red pepper spread with garlic and eggplant, or something similar
1/4 cup frozen corn
1/3 can chopped green chiles
1 slice red onion, diced

1. In a small bowl, combine the corn, green chiles, and red onion. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

2. Add two cups of water to a sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Slowly pour the polenta into the pan, stirring to ensure that it doesn’t clump. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thickened. Add the red pepper spread and mix to incorporate. 

3. While the polenta is cooking, mix the cornmeal and a sprinkling of salt, pepper, paprika, cumin, and coriander in a shallow bowl. Dredge the fish filets in the mixture and set aside. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a saute pan, and when it is hot, add the fish and cook for approximately 5 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

4. Serve the fish atop the polenta, topped with the corn salsa.

Salsa Verde Tilapia

I made this fish because I was serving a Mexican-inspired Rice, and I needed a main dish to go along with it. This ended up having the perfect flavor, and I’ll definitely make it again. The tilapia is seasoned and then sauteed in some extra virgin olive oil, giving it just a little crust and keeping the inside nice and moist. I topped the fish with some salsa verde, and the flavors tasted great together. I loved the seasoning on the fish and how it tasted without the salsa, too, and I bet that it would be great shredded up for fish tacos. This was a light and healthy meal with a nice Mexican twist that’s perfect for a day when you’re craving Mexican flavors but don’t want something too heavy.

Salsa Verde Tilapia
Source: Inspired from Closet Cooking

2 tilapia filets
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Ground cumin
Chili powder
Salsa verde (I used jarred, because I happened to have some in the house, but homemade would be better)

1. Season both sides of the tilapia filets liberally with salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder.

2. Add some extra virgin olive oil to a pan and heat over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the tilapia filets. Cook approximately 5-6 minutes on each side, or until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.

3. Serve the tilapia filets with salsa verde.

Cilantro Tilapia with Avocado

This is one of our favorite ways to eat tilapia, and probably the way that I cook it most frequently. We like to eat the tilapia on its own, or we also like to top it with different kinds of salsa or pico de gallo. Tonight, I tried it out with avocado slices, and I think that it was my favorite combination so far. We also love to cook the tilapia this way and then shred it for tilapia tacos, served with shredded cheddar and pico de gallo. A few years ago, I never thought I’d ever eat a fish taco, but I have to say that they really are seriously, seriously delicious. I’m sure I’ll post them at some point :)

Cilantro Tilapia with Avocado
Source: Marinade adapted from Jason Cooks

2 tilapia fillets
1 handful of cilantro, about a cup, plus a few leaves for garnish
1 small onion, roughly chopped
2 large garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, roughly chopped
1 lime
Extra virgin olive oil
1 small avocado, sliced

1. Combine the cilantro, onion, garlic cloves, jalapeno pepper, and juice from the lime in a food processor and process until combined into the consistency of a marinade.

2. Marinate the tilapia fillets in the cilantro mixture for at least 30 minutes.

3. Heat a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a pan. When hot, add the tilapia fillets (with as little or as much of the marinade packed on as you’d like) and saute until brown and cooked through, approximately ten minutes.

4. Serve the tilapia fillets garnished with avocado slices and cilantro.

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia

Giada De Laurentiis has a recipe for Parmesan pork chops that B and I love. They’re the juiciest and best pork chops I’ve ever had. Tonight, I tried the recipe out on tilapia. It wasn’t as good as the pork chops, but it was pretty tasty! A nice, crispy-crunchy fish that’s easy to prepare. Next time, I think I might add some extra Parmesan to the top of the fish and stick it under the broiler for a minute or two when it’s done cooking. Mmm.

Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia
Source: Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

2 tilapia fillets
1/4 cup of finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4-1/3 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
Dried oregano
Salt and Pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

1. On three separate plates, pour the cheese, the beaten egg, and the bread crumbs.

2. Season the fish with salt and pepper.

3. Dredge the fish in the cheese, then dip into the egg and coat in bread crumbs. Sprinkle with dried oregano.

4. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a pan, and saute the fish until brown and cooked through, approximately ten minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

Almond Crusted Tilapia

All of my pictures of this meal turned out a little blurry, but I’m going to blog it anyway because it’s one of my favorite ways to eat tilapia. B and I love almonds, and they’re one of the best foods in the world for you. This fish is nice and crispy and is super healthy. I usually serve it over a nutted brown rice pilaf, but tonight we had couscous and green beans. I added extra almonds on top this time, and I loved the addition.

Almond Crusted Tilapia
Source: Adapted from Southern Living

Really, this isn’t much of a recipe, but here’s how I make it:

2 tilapia filets
1/4 cup roasted almonds, plus 6-8 more
1/8 cup whole wheat flour
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

1. Process the 1/4 cup almonds and the flour in a food processor until finely combined.

2. Season the tilapia with salt and pepper, then dredge in the almond mixture to coat both sides.

3. Saute the tilapia in extra virgin olive oil until brown on both sides, approximately 10 minutes.

4. Process the remaining almonds until roughly chopped, or chop with a knife, and sprinkle over fish.