This recipe is simple and healthy. It was featured in the second LSC. Some of my recipes are my own invention but many others have been hijacked from my mother (Hedley), Top Chef, and expensive restaurants who make the mistake of putting their menus online thinking they will lure us in. What actually happens is me executing amateur renditions of their menu items at a fraction of the price for the LSC’s enjoyment. This one in particular is a Hedley-knockoff. For those of you who don’t know Hedley then turn around slowly and apologize, because she might be standing behind you. Trust me, you don’t want to make her mad.
Until this blog, most of my recipes have been stored precariously in my brain right next to a bizarre amount of facts about the diving habits of whales (I read an article once and it was pretty unforgettable). There’s not much measuring, and a lot of eyeballing in them.
Three suggestions for practical eyeballing:
1) It’s easier to add more seasoning than take extra seasoning out (and by easier, I mean it’s basically impossible to do the latter). So go lightly at first, taste test, add more if necessary, give the seasoning a few minutes to finish hitting on the object of its flavorful affections, and repeat cycle.
2)Never, ever free pour - unless rinsing salt off of semi-cooked food is one of your favorite hobbies.
3) Don’t let his girlfriend see you (bah-dum tssshh). All recipes are written to serve the number of members in the LSC (That’s four for those of you who ignored our "About Us" section). However, especially when it comes to desserts, LSC portions are usually super-sized.
Tilapia:
- 4 Tilapia filets
- Kosher Salt
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- Paprika (Sweet/mild)
- Olive Oil
Preheat Oven to 350. Coat fish with olive oil and season with a bit of salt, pepper, and paprika. Remember, a bit of olive oil goes a long way and supplement by spraying the bottom of the pan with PAM to make sure the fish doesn’t stick. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Remember, we’re eyeballing so you can test with a fork in the thickest portion of the fish. I’ve noticed when the fish is done gets splits where you can see that it’s cooked through.
In this dish we’re using paprika to add a bit of color to the fish and not really for added flavor. Consider it the fake tanner of seasonings so sprinkle lightly – it will give it a nice browning effect when it’s cooked, unlike when people use fake tanner and turn orange.
From those of us who embrace our natural skin color to those of you who don’t – we aren’t kidding, you’re orange. (*Melissa does not endorse this opinion, as she occasionally self-tans, and is still as pale as can be).
Tomato, Red Onion, Parsley Topping:
- 5-6 plum tomatoes; seeded and with the goop cleaned out and chopped
- One red onion; minced
- A lot of fresh parsley – get flat not curly parsley; chopped
- Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Pepper
- Red Wine Vinegar (optional)
Mix the above ingredients together. You may not need to use an entire red onion – try chopping half of it first and mixing it with the other ingredients. Ideally you can make this before the fish (even the day before) and give the ingredient flavors times to come together. It also tastes better at room temperature. If you choose to add vinegar then balsamic can also be substituted. A suggestion is to let the first six ingredients come together without the vinegar and taste test to see if you really needed that added flavor. This is one of the good things about free-cooking; you can change things as you go along and in doing so you accidentally created another new dish.
Once the fish is cooked just spoon the tomato mixture on top and enjoy! The tomato mixture is also delicious on a good toasted bread.
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