Monday, March 06, 2006
Make your next fish dish with tilapia
One type of fish making more appearances on restaurant menus and dinner tables is tilapia. Because this lean, firm fish is good baked, broiled, grilled, fried or sautéed, tilapia can bring variety as well as flavor to any meal.
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Thai-Style Tilapia
1/2 cup coconut milk
6 whole almonds
2 tablespoons chopped white onion
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 4-ounce tilapia fillets
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
In a food processor or blender, combine the coconut milk, almonds, onion, ginger, and turmeric. Process until smooth. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper on both sides, then place them skin-side up in the skillet. Pour the pureed sauce over the fish. Use a spatula to coat the fish evenly with the sauce. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes.
Reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the puree is thickened and fish flakes easily with a fork. Makes 4 servings.
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This recipe provides the flavor of fried fish without the fat.
Oven-Fried Tilapia
4 4-ounce tilapia fillets
1/3 cup fine, dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix the salt, pepper, and oil in a small bowl. Blend thoroughly. Place the fillets in a baking dish that has been coated with no-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the crumb mixture. Bake until fish is opaque and flakes easily. Makes 4 servings.
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Broiled Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
Juice of 1 lemon (approximately 3 tablespoons)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Place fillets in baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets, then drizzle butter on top. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pepper. Bake until the fish until fish is opaque and flakes easily, about 30 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
You can use tilapia in recipe that call for flounder, cod, sod, or orange roughy.
Tilapia does not stand up well to lengthy marinating. If you marinate tilapia, do so for only about 15 minutes.
If frozen tilapia is mushy after it is thawed, discard it.
The Practical Pantry ©2006 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com