Broiled Tilapia with a Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

I have never really been a fan of seafood. I want to like fish, because it's healthy, and supposedly delicious, but I feel sort of meh about it. Anyway, on Yom Kippur, I decided to give it another try. I have been told that tilapia is one of the mildest white fish out there, so I figured it was a good place for me to start. In keeping with our love of Indian, Thai, and curry dishes, I decided to make this dish, which was very highly rated on the Cooking Light website. The fish itself is quite plain - brushed with sesame oil and kosher salt. The sauce, though very easy to put together, was super tasty - perfectly sweet, spicy, creamy and chunky. It coated the chicken and brown rice, and gave it a really nice, rich flavor. Unfortunately, I think I overcooked the fish a little, which made it a tad mushy. I liked it, but I sort of felt like the fish itself, was just a vehicle, to get to the sauce. We had a lot left over though, and it will be really nice over rice or chicken. I served this dish with balsamic green beans, and it was a really nice addition. I'm not sure I'll make this tilapia again, but I will keep trying fish. A wise woman (my mom) once said, "Fish is an acquired taste." Hmph.






Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut-Curry Sauce

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet, 1/2 cup sauce, 3/4 cup rice, and 1 lime wedge)

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil, divided
2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons red curry paste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
4 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
Cooking spray
3 cups hot cooked basmati rice
4 lime wedges

Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and onions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.


CALORIES 506 (30% from fat); FAT 17.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 6g,poly 2.5g); IRON 2.7mg; CHOLESTEROL 82mg; CALCIUM 47mg; CARBOHYDRATE 56.6g; SODIUM 616mg; PROTEIN 29g; FIBER 3.1g

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2002

Sweet and Spicy Citrus Tilapia with White and Wild Rice Pilaf

I have never cooked fish. That's right - never. Honestly, I don't care for it, and would never have it if I didn't have to. Kevin has been requesting it lately, though, so I thought I'd take a stab at this citrus tilapia dish I found in Cooking Light. It was one of the easiest things I've made, and it truly took no time at all to prepare. Kevin didn't feel that the marinade penetrated the dish enough, but I followed the recipe exactly, and I'm not sure there was any way to change that. I personally think he should have used the Roasted Pepper Walnut Sauce from the night before, to liven up the flavor, but that's just me. He liked it - he just thought it was a little mild. I didn't try it. I wasn't interested, so I had a tofu repeat from the night before. The rice pilaf was tasty, but it was just one of those boring, basic, solid dishes you make on a weekly basis, because you have all the ingredients, and can throw in anything you have on hand. Nothing special. I am going to try my hand at fish again soon, but since I'm definitely not used to the flavor, texture, or cooking time of fish, I'm going to need to keep experimenting.