Tilapia: take two!

Looking for a different way to eat your tilapia instead of just pan frying or baking it with a marinade or seasoning on it? Give this recipe a try for a nice change! You’ll be glad you did!

 

Dijon Fish cakes with Greens

from realsimple.com

Ingredients

4 6-ounce tilapia fillets
sea salt and black pepper
1/2 cup light mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (I use 1 – 1 ½ TBSP. dried)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3/4 cup panko (I like to make my crumbs out of toasted Ezekiel bread)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons     grape seed or olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
5 ounces salad greens

Directions

 

1. Heat oven to 400° F. Place the tilapia on a rimmed baking sheet and season with ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bake until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool and flake into small pieces.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt), eggs, dill, and 1 tablespoon of the mustard. Fold in the tilapia and bread crumbs. Form the mixture into 8 cakes and chill for at least 30 minutes. Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the tilapia cakes until golden, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the grape seed (or olive) oil, vinegar, the remaining 1 teaspoon of mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Add the salad greens and toss to combine. Serve with the fish cakes.

Serves 4

Time for Tostadas…Tilapia Tostadas that is!

Have Fish Fridays been getting a little too costly for you lately? Going out to a restaurant every week for fish can not only affect your wallet, it can affect your waistline, too. Don’t think that just because you’re eating fish that it’s going to be low-calorie or low-fat. Many places that prepare fish add so many extra ingredients that by the time you’re done with your meal, you’ve eaten between 700-1200 calories! If you’ve eaten somewhere that has prepared your meal to be on the higher end of that, that’s almost a persons ENTIRE recommended calorie intake for ONE DAY! That is crazy and completely UN-necessary.

Give this recipe a try instead next time you get a craving to go out for fish. Your wallet AND your waistline will thank you later!

Tilapia Tostadas with Roasted Corn Relish

from Cooking Light

Ingredients

1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup green salsa
Cooking spray
1 cup yellow corn kernels
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup diced peeled avocado
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon grape seed oil, divided
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1 cup packaged cole slaw mix

Preparation

1. Mix together salsa and sour cream.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add corn, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan; wipe pan clean with paper towels. Combine avocado and juice; toss gently. Stir avocado mixture into corn mixture.
3. Preheat broiler.
4. Sprinkle fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish and coat fish in cornmeal. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add half the fish to pan; cook 3 minutes. Carefully turn fish over; cook another 2 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Repeat with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and fish.
5. Coat both sides of tortillas with cooking spray. Arrange tortillas in a single layer on baking sheets; broil 2 minutes on each side or until crisp. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates. Arrange 2 tablespoons slaw on each tortilla. Divide fish evenly among tortillas; top each serving with about 3 tablespoons corn relish and about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream mixture.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 470
Fat: 17.1g
Saturated fat: 4.3g
Monounsaturated fat: 7.6g
Polyunsaturated fat: 3.3g
Protein: 40.4g
Carbohydrate: 43.7g
Fiber: 6.7g
Cholesterol: 96mg
Iron: 2.2mg
Sodium: 610mg
Calcium: 83mg

Tilapia Tuesday

Grilled Tilapia with Smoked Paprika and Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower

adapted from Cooking Light

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower:
8 cups bite-size cauliflower florets (about 1 head)
4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1/3 cup nonfat buttermilk
4 teaspoons grape seed oil (or extra virgin olive oil) divided
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Snipped fresh chives for garnish

Fish:
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray

Preparation

1. To prepare Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower, Place cauliflower florets and garlic in a steamer basket over boiling water, cover and steam until very tender, 12 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, place florets and garlic in a microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup water, cover and microwave on High for 3 to 5 minutes.)
2. Place the cooked cauliflower and garlic in a food processor. Add buttermilk, 2 teaspoons oil, butter, salt and pepper; pulse several times, then process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and garnish with chives, if desired. Cover and keep warm until the fish is prepared.

1. To prepare the fish, heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Combine oil, paprika, garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a bowl, stirring well. Rub fish evenly with oil mixture. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add fish to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Tilapia Tuesday

Okay, folks, I hope that you stocked up on fish after last weeks announcement that we’re doing a Tilapia recipe every Tuesday! I know I did (then again I ALWAYS have Tilapia on hand)! And remember that if you’d prefer to use a type of fish other than Tilapia, it’s perfectly fine to. You can also use fresh or frozen fish. I buy frozen, individually packaged Tilapia fillets. I either let them thaw in the fridge a day before I need them or if I need to thaw them immediately I fill up the sink (or a large bowl) with cold water and they will thaw in that after an hour or so. Should you choose the cold water thawing method, you will also want to change the water out after 25-30 minutes and turn the fish and continue to do so until the fish is thawed (thicker cuts will, of course, take longer than a thinner cut). Check out this link about Cold Water Thawing for more information. If you’ve never thawed something out this way before I would suggest reading up on it. When thawing food, bacteria can be an issue (not ALL bacteria can get cooked out, which can lead to food poisoning), so please keep that in mind! And for goodness sake, whatever you do – don’t just leave it out on the counter to thaw!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tilapia Corn Chowder
from Eating Well

Ingredients
2 ounces bacon, (about 2 slices)
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
8 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 cups fresh (frozen works too) corn kernels, (about 4 ears)
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 cup half-and-half (or try light coconut milk if you can’t have dairy)
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, (optional)

Directions:
Chop bacon and cook in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Add oil to the pan. Add celery, leek, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just tender and the corn is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in tilapia and thyme; return to a gentle simmer. Cook until the tilapia is cooked through, about 4 minutes more.
Remove from the heat.

Stir in half-and-half (or coconut milk), lemon juice and the reserved bacon. Garnish with chives, if using.

Makes about 6 servings, 1 1/4 cups each

Nutrition

Per serving: 288 calories; 10 g fat ( 4 g sat , 3 g mono ); 78 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 31 g protein; 2 g fiber; 453 mg sodium; 598 mg potassium.

Introducing…Tilapia Tuesdays!

As I mentioned in an earlier recipe post, I love Tilapia. So much that we decided to start posting Tilapia recipes on a weekly basis, which we will call Tilapia Tuesday! Keep in mind, however, that you can use other types of fish instead of Tilapia, such as Cod, Haddock or Salmon. And, in case you forgot how good fish can be for you, here are just a few reminders:

1. Fish is a nutrient-dense food.It’s a good source of protein – most varieties contain around 20 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving, the same as meat.

2. Fish is a good source of vitamin B-12.

3. Most fish are rich sources of iron.

Here’s to Tilapia Tuesdays!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chili Rubbed Tilapia with Asparagus and Lemon

from Eating Well

Ingredients

2 pounds asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic, powder

1/2 teaspoonsalt, divided

1 pound tilapia, Pacific sole or other firm white fish fillets

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put asparagus in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover and steam until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, spreading out to cool.

Combine chili powder, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a plate. Dredge fillets in the spice mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook until just opaque in the center, gently turning halfway, 5 to 7 minutes total. Divide among 4 plates. Immediately add lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and asparagus to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the asparagus is coated and heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve the asparagus with the fish.

Nutrition

Per serving: 211 calories; 10 g fat ( 2 g sat , 6 g mono ); 57 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 26 g protein; 4 g fiber; 419 mg sodium; 681 mg potassium