Recipe Swap: Tomato Bacon Butter Tilapia

It's recipe swap time again!  This time, the theme was seafood/fish.  We love seafood, but my husband is not a fan of fish and I'm finicky about it, so it was with hesitation that I signed up to participate.  I was once again given Jey's blog and knew it would be delicious since every thing I've made from her blog has been great!

I was thrilled that I received a tilapia recipe, since tilapia is so mild and not fishy, I figured it would go over well for all of us.  The family commented on the smell of the cooking bacon, and the sauce smelled so good as it was cooking.  Jey is right; this would be excellent over chicken!

So, it came time for serving.  My husband commented (sarcastically) that it was not only fish on the plate, but also rice.  I knew that no matter how delicious, he wouldn't be finishing his plate, and I was right.

My son and I, however, enjoyed this very much.  The five year old dug in, commenting on how much he LOOOOOOVES fish.  I was surprised that I was so full on what seemed like so little food; is fish known for being super filling?  I've never found that to be the case when I eat sushi!!

So, this was not the huge success I'd hoped for, but it's not one bit the recipe's fault!  The sauce is delicious and the fish was cooked perfectly.  Tilapia was a great choice, but it would be super yum over chicken as well.

Thanks to Jey for again sharing a great recipe, and thanks to Sarah for being a great hostess as always.  Check out her blog for the recipe roundup!

 Tomato Bacon Butter Tilapia Source:  The Jey of Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Water
• 1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt
• 2 tsp. Sugar
• 4 Tilapia Filets
• 4 Slices Uncooked Bacon, finely chopped (I do this with kitchen shears)
• 1 Clove Garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• 1 Pint Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, halved
• 2 Tbsp. Butter

Instructions

Combine the water, kosher salt and sugar in a shallow baking dish. Mix until dissolved. Add the tilapia and let stand 20 minutes.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook 3-5 minutes until almost crisp. Add the garlic and cook an additional two minutes, stirring frequently. Add the paprika and stir for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook until just softened, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Transfer the bacon tomato butter to a small bowl.

Return skillet to medium heat. Remove the fish from the water mixture and pat dry with paper towels. Cook the tilapia fillets 3-5 minutes per side.

Transfer the tilapia to plates, then top with the bacon tomato butter, about 2 Tbsp. per filet.

"The Best" Tuna Salad

Trying to try out recipes to fill the Boy's lunchboxes this fall, I couldn't resist trying "The Best" tuna salad when I saw it on Sarah's blog. 

I used chunk tuna, which was probably a much less appetizing way to make this (interestingly, in another version, Cook's Country recommends chunk tuna for their tuna salad sandwich), but it was delicious nonetheless.  We (that's right, ALL OF US) loved this!  It wasn't until I made this that I realized my mom used to put onion in tuna salad, as well as celery, so I had a feeling it would be nostalgic for me, and while it was, it had some flavors Mom never put into my childhood tuna salad sandwiches.

Give this one a try some day for your lunch; you will not regret it!

The Best Tuna Salad Source:  Cook's Country Magazine via I Was Born to Cook

3 cans solid white tuna packed in water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 celery stalk, finely chopped

Drain tuna and pat dry with a paper towel.  Microwave oil and onion for about 2 minutes, until onion begins to soften.  Mix with tuna, lemon juice, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.  Let marinate for 10 minutes.

Stir in mayo and serve.

Sea Bass alla Fiorentina

Summertime, and the eatin' is free!!  This meal was made of locally grown zucchini from our CSA and locally caught sea bass from my parents!  Can't get much cheaper than that!

My parents are avid anglers, so in the summertime, we get pretty much all the fresh fish we could want.  My husband, on the other hand, doesn't really enjoy fish that much, so when I came home with a bundle of sea bass, I turned to the internet to find a recipe that would be tasty to all of us.

I found this one on the Food Network website and was really pleased to find a reviewer who noted that her family doesn't really like fish, but they loved this.  Even better, I had everything to make this.

We LOVED this.  My husband enjoyed it, but noted that he probably would have preferred it in a lemon-white wine sauce, which was my original intent.  I really liked it, and thought the sauce was amazing over the zucchini.  My four year old DEVOURED his fish, and told my parents how great it was and how much he likes to eat fish!!!

Sea Bass alla Fiorentina Souce:  Giada de Laurentiis via Food Network Website

Ingredients

• c4 (6-ounce) pieces sea bass
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning fish
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning fish
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 (14-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl, dredge the fish, tapping off the excess flour to create a light coating.

In a medium nonstick fry pan, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Cook the fish until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a plate.

Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, tomatoes, water, parsley, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the basil and the fish and heat for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Tuna and Artichoke Panini

We all have Spring on our minds; the winter has been rough and looking at facebook today, everyone is talking about seeing buds and blooms already.  Many are starting to think about their figures, but my mind is turning to the Lenten season.

For me, eating meatless on Fridays isn't that hard when I'm working, but now that I'm home, I think it will require a little more planning on my part.  So, I'm starting to assemble some meals that will be quick and easy for me to make myself on meatless Fridays (yeah, vegetarians consider fish meat, but Catholics don't.  I suspect it has to do with that whole Jesus and his apostles being fisherman, but what do I know, please don't strike me down!)

This little number from Giada was passed from one friend to another in the cooking exchange in which I'm participating.  It looked so delicious, I added it to my mental list of things to make.  Giada uses kalamata olives, and Patrizia substituted with chickpeas.  Amazingly, I had neither, so just left it out.  I was thinking of throwing in some capers, but decided against it this time around.    Since I omitted the chunky stuff, I also saved myself the food processing step (which is great, because boy do I hate cleaning that thing).

Since Giada called this a panini, I took what I learned from My First Panini, and heated up some olive oil in a frying pan, put the sandwich in with it, then smooshed it with a pot, then flipped after a few minutes.  This was really great, because it gave a little crunch to the bread and also warmed it a little.  Nice.  I also tried it without tomato, having forgotten to add it, but then added it; it made a big difference and added a whole different layer of flavor.  Much better with the tomato.

So, thank you to Patrizia, Melissa, and Giada for a yummy, easy lunch that will certainly help in the Lenten season, but also beyond (how awesome to have for a summer dinner when it's too hot to turn on the stove or oven?). 

Tuna and Artichoke Panini
Courtesy of Giada de Laurentiis 

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 (6-ounce) cans tuna in olive oil, drained
• 1 (12-ounce) jar marinated artichokes, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (16-ounce) ciabatta bread, halved horizontally
• 1 tomato, diced

Directions

Puree the olives, oil, garlic, and zest in a food processor until smooth and spreadable. Blend in the mayonnaise. Toss the tuna, artichokes, lemon juice, and pepper in a medium bowl, keeping the tuna in small chunks.
Hollow out the bottom and top halves of the bread. Spread the olive puree over both cut sides of the bread. Spoon the tuna and artichoke mixture onto the bottom half of the bread. Sprinkle the tomatoes over. Cover with the bread top. Cut the sandwich crosswise into 6 pieces and serve.

Sea Bass Baked in Foil

This comes from Giada's cookbook, but she calls for Salmon. We had sea bass that my parents caught, so I was looking for something to use and in her notes, she mentioned that Italians typically use sea bass but that she was changing it up. The recipe can also be found on the food network's website.

This was...ok. We didn't love it, although we really loved the small amount of clean up. The fish was really nicely cooked, it was just that we weren't crazy about its flavor.

Ingredients

• 4 (5 ounces each) salmon fillets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tomatoes, chopped, or 1 (14-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
• 2 chopped shallots
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Sprinkle salmon with 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir the tomatoes, shallots, 2 tablespoons of oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.

Place a salmon fillet, oiled side down, atop a sheet of foil. Wrap the ends of the foil to form a spiral shape. Spoon the tomato mixture over the salmon. Fold the sides of the foil over the fish and tomato mixture, covering completely; seal the packets closed. Place the foil packet on a heavy large baking sheet. Repeat until all of the salmon have been individually wrapped in foil and placed on the baking sheet. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through, about 25 minutes. Using a large metal spatula, transfer the foil packets to plates and serve.

Pan Seared Tilapia with Roasted Red Pepper Broth

No win from Robin Rescues Dinner with this one. I found another blogger who posted the recipe here.

Perhaps my sauce was too thin, as I tried to make modifications from the recipe I had (for 8 fillets) to the recipe I wanted (for 2 fillets). The flavor, however, wasn't really that great. The orzo salad that accompanies the recipe was just so so. Not a keeper for us. Unfortunately, so far, we've really only liked our tilapia one way--smothered in junk that's bad for us!

Nonetheless, I still love this cookbook!

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Tilapia was on sale last week, so I went in search of a quick and easy tilapia recipe. I found this one on allrecipes, and figured that since strawberries were also on sale, I would make it with them.

When it came time to make them, however, I had discovered a bottle of chunked mango in the pantry, and not wanting it to spoil and realizing my husband doesn't really like strawberries, I made it as written instead.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets
• 
  
• 1 large ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced I used 3 slices of jarred jalapenos
  
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, garlic, basil, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add the tilapia fillets, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
2. Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil grate.
4. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the fillets until the fish is no longer translucent in the center, and flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillets. Serve the tilapia topped with mango salsa.

Not having a "real" grill, I used the George Foreman... I was thinking as I used it how very rich that guy must be as a result of that grill! One of the reviewers on allrecipes stated she set her GF for 300 degrees and let it go for 9 minutes. I also set it for 300 degrees, but 9 minutes was way too long. Glad I was keeping an eye on it!!

I enjoyed this a lot. I had a hard time, however, thinking of a side dish to serve with this. I figured it would never be enough for dinner for us, so I served it with a salad and a frozen potato/cheese/broccoli blend, which while not a very fitting side, helped to fill us up a little more.

My husband said I could make this again, but that it was a little too spicy for his liking, so I might cut down the amount of jalapeno I use in the salsa next time. He also said he felt like the fish didn't really have any flavor on its own, which may not be totally untrue. Next time, I'll probably freeze the fish in the marinade or start the marinade the night before.

Fried Tilapia

This was a recipe for Fried Catfish from ATK. I wasn't sure if I would like catfish, and tilapia was on sale, so away we went.

It was pretty good, although not delicious. It was a little bit too much of the SAME for me to eat a whole filet. I served with corn on the cob and McCain's steak fries.