Tilapia 'tis delightful!

Ah, fish...nothing like a good piece of fish to satisfy your hunger, right?

Well kids - I have to admit, I've not always been very interested in putting finned protein on my plate. I'm more of a steak and truffle mashed potatoes kind of girl, or a pork bbq & fresh corn kind of girl, or a lamb kabob & couscous kind of girl...where was I? Oh yes, fish.

The man (as in love interest) likes fish - let me rephrase that - he likes fish more than anything, it's his "favorite". When we first started dating, this did pose somewhat of a challenge to me. Given for the most part - with the exception of a well done piece of salmon, fresh Dover sole or killer fish & chips - I tend to shy away from sea creatures of the porpoise variety and focus on the things that walk the earth before you eat 'em.

But, man wants "light dinner"...will skip if I don't comply and I do enjoy a nice quiet meal with him, as that's when we have time to catch (besides who likes to eat alone?) up face to face vs by text message or email. So - I comply.

I stop by Giant (not necessarily my first choice for fish purchases - I tend to prefer the Asian market for that) and I look at the fish case. Not overly inspired. However, the nice lady behind the counter (the one with the fish hook jauntily added to her "Giant" employee hat for contextual flare I guess, helps me out.

I beg her to steer me in the direction of FRESH fish (of course - everything has been previously frozen so let us define FRESH in grocery store terms...). Fresh is a thing of the past...aside from if you're store has a "local" connection and gets some shad...in season - expecting "fresh" not frozen seafood is like expecting Louis Vuitton to go on sale - just 'aint gonna happen.

Anyway - Grocery store "fresh" fish is...

Not slimy

Not smelly

Firm in texture

Reasonably pleasant looking...

Fish hook lady says ergo the salmon, catfish, tuna steaks, shark, and go for Tilapia...

Tilapia, sounds like a small country fighting for independence somewhere - but I'll take it.

So - off I go with my Tilapia (and fresh lemons, some spinach & shallots); ready to create a culinary masterpiece.

Tilapia gained popularity in the past few years when there began to be talks of salmon & other fish being "over fished". There's actually over 100 different types of Tilapia (according to my fave - Wikipedia). To learn more, click here.

Anyhoo...here's how I cooked Nemo (sorry bad joke).

First, I heated the pan very hot, added some good quality virgin olive oil (you should know by now that your food is only going to taste as good as the olive oil you're using - COSTCO has a great olive oil for the price - highly recommend it.)

Then I added two shallots, one clove of garlic, about 1/2 a cup of capers and cooked until the shallots were translucent. Sure, you could use onions, but my feeling when it comes to fish (ahem...such an expert am I) is that the flavors should be delicate (especially with white fleshed fish)...onion could easily overpower - but by all means, experiment. No draconnian methodology here.

Then I added my fish filets (which I'd first seasoned with salt & pepper - and allowed to cook for 5 minutes before I flipped 'em (they had become somewhat golden and developped a nice crust). Tasty.

Once flipped I covered each filet with a thin layer of fresh lemon slices & cooked about 2 minutes more. I then removed the fish to plates and added some fresh lemon juice to the pan (about the juice of one & one half lemos) - stirring to make a sauce. I finished the sauce with drizzle of olive oil - but butter would have worked as well.

I plated the filets over a mound of garlic spinach & a medley of summer squash, cherry tomatoes & vidalia onions with a touch of fresh dill.

Quite tasty.

Man seemed to like it too... Who'd have thunk it?

I'm feeling bold - maybe next time I'll try...sea bass or something.

Just goes to say - don't knock it 'till you've Tilapia'd it!

Food & Kisses,

M