Posts Tagged ‘cooking fish’

Recipe: Tilapia Cake

Sunday, October 25th, 2009
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Tilapia cakes are a healthy and inexpensive alternative to crab cakes.

I have to admit that the first time I saw the name of this recipe I was all - dang! they figured out how to make cake out of tilapia! This is going to be good! Don’t laugh. I once participated in a certain high protein diet that espoused a recipe for cake make from garbonzo beans. I love my chick peas, but not with faux sugar frosting. Moving on-

The recipe is actually not for a ‘cake’ at all, but for a fish cake - similar to a crab cake - and it was a finalist in Regal Springs’ tilapia chef contest. Here’s the recipe. (And if you really want smiles at the table, serve some chocoate cake with your tilapia cakes!)

Warning: this is a fancy recipe! That doesn’t mean it’s difficult, it’s just not your five-minutes-in-the-microwave type of throw together. If I were you, I wouldn’t waste it on my family alone. Invite some friends over and make it a party!

Tilapia Cake, by Brent Bennett 

Ingredients:

  • 16 oz. Regal Springs tilapia filets
  • 6 Tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 4 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 4 cups Panko
  • 2 sticks margarine, divided
  • 4 cups watermelon, seedless, chopped
  • 3 ears fresh sweet corn
  • 1/2 cup red onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • Tbsp. kosher salt, divided
  • Freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 3 tsp. chives, minced
  • 1 tsp. parsley, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp. basil, minced

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Rub a non-stick sheet pan with 1 tsp. of margarine. Season tilapia with 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt and 1/8 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper. Evenly distribute the ground coriander, garlic powder and cayenne pepper over the filets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through. Cool to room temperature.
  2. To Make Watermelon Soup: Place chopped watermelon in a blender. Then add 1/8 tsp. of salt and 1 Tbsp. lime juice and blend until it is pureed. Pour into bowl and stir in the minced basil. Refrigerate.
  3. To make Margarine Compound: Mix together 1 stick of margarine, 1 Tbsp. lime juice, a pinch of salt and pepper and 1 tsp. of minced parsley. Note: Margarine should be at room temperature before mixing and this should be mixed until homogenous.
  4. Clean corn of the husks and silks. Rub each ear with about 1 tbsp. of the “margarine compound.” Cut the ends off of the red pepper. Then stand up straight and cut into 4 even sections. Lay the sections skin side down and remove the white flesh. Season the corn and the red bell pepper with a pinch of salt and pepper and place on the grill. Grill the corn for 10 to 15 minutes until you see grill marks on the corn. The red bell peppers will take 6 to 10 minutes. Start them skin side down. When the skin starts to turn black flip to flesh side down.
  5. When the peppers start to soften, they can be removed. Allow corn and red peppers to cool.
  6. Cut both ends off of the red onion. Cut in half. Cut half of onion into thin slices. Soak the onion slices in ice water for 10 to 15 minutes to remove harshness. After 10 to 15 minutes, strain.
  7. Once the grilled vegetables have cooled enough to handle, cut off all corn kernels with a knife and place in a mixing bowl. Place the sliced onions in the bowl and mix. Then season with 3/4 tsp. of salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tbsp. lime juice and 1 tsp. of minced parsley.
  8. Mix to distribute seasonings and vegetables.
  9. In a mixing bowl, mix together 6 tbsp. of mayonnaise, 8 tbsp. of panko, 3 tsp. of minced chives and 4 tsp. of lime juice. Break the cooled tilapia into big chunks and add them to the bowl. Mix everything to combine, trying not to break the tilapia too much. Then season with a pinch of salt and pepper and form into four equal size balls. Shape balls into a patty resembling a hockey puck. Dredge each cake in 1 to 2 cups of panko, until the entire outside surface is coated.
  10. Heat a stainless steel saute pan on medium high heat. Add 1 1/2 tbsp. of margarine. Once the margarine has melted and started to bubble, add in the tilapia cakes. Pan fry on one side until brown and crispy. Then flip over with a spatula and start to brown the other side. If you have an oven safe sauté pan, then place the pan in the oven for 4 to 6 minutes to finish heating the cakes all the way through. If not, then place the tilapia cakes on a sheet pan and place in the oven.
  11. To plate, ladle 3 oz. of the chilled watermelon and basil soup into a bowl. Spoon 1/2 cup of the grilled corn, red pepper and onion medley into the bowl in a straight line. Then place one cake on top of the vegetables in the middle of the plate. Then place another 1 1/2 tbsp. of the vegetables on top of the cake. Garnish with a chive cut in half and laid criss crossed on top.

Yield: 4 servings.

To see all the finalists’ recipes, see Regal Springs’ website.

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Now We’re Cooking Tilapia, Recipe Roundup

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

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It’s been a tough job, but somebody had to do it. I’ve scoured some of the best home cooks’ blogs to find these tasty and simple tilapia recipes. With easy fish recipes like these, there’s no excuse not to eat more fish at home. Click the links to go directly to these tasty entrees.

Spicy Sauteed Tilapia with Cherry Tomatoes

This gorgeous dish, courtesy of Lynda’s Recipe Box, is a perfect way to use up the cheese in the feta container. It’s also a great example of improvising a recipe. Not having the exact ingredients didn’t stop Lynda. She simply substituted with something she had on hand. There are no rules, and sometimes it’s better to take a risk on an alternate ingredient than make an extra trip to the store.

Breaded Tilapia Sticks

I like this recipe on {creative cents} for two reasons. First, it’s frugal! It’s hard to go wrong when you start with tilapia, and this recipe keeps the cost down with simple ingredients. Everything you need is probably in your pantry or refrigerator right now. I also love that this recipe is baked. I make breaded tilapia at least twice a month, but I fry mine. It’s awfully tasty, but baking would definitely cut the calories!

Broiled Tilapia with Lime Chipotle Marinade

Normally, this would be just the type of recipe I’d shy away from. Lime Chipotle Marinade? Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? But a quick glance at the Soup Belly’s ingredient list hints at its simplicity. If you can’t get fresh nectarines, I’ll bet you could substitute with canned peaches in a pinch. The other reason I chose this recipe because the blog was so beautiful. Presentation is everything, after all. I’m a sucker for food bloggers who are also amazing photographers.

Pan Seared Lemon Tilapia with Parmesan Pasta

This simple preparation from Rachel vs. “The Kitchen” showcases the flavors of the lemon and spices. Super light and flavorful, and super fast to put together. Rachel reminds us that she pulled some frozen tilapia out of the freezer for this one. Easy!

Baja Shrimp and Tilapia Enchladas

This recipe was rounded up by a blogger I’ve recently discovered, Pioneer Woman. One of her readers submitted this unique combination of shrimp and tilapia, two of my favorites. Warning, you can lose yourself quickly on this beautiful website. That Pioneer Woman seems to do everything well!

Image Credit: LAYeiser, Flickr

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Recipe: Asian Tilapia

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
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Tilapia fillets ready for the microwave.

When you’re craving a delicious Asian-inspired dish, tilapia is your friend. The mild flavor of tilapia takes on garlic, ginger, and sesame in this super simple and fast recipe. It’s also healthy and packed with flavor. This tilapia recipe has it all. I like to pair it with rice (also made in the microwave). If you’re feeling engertic and inspired, stir-fry some fresh veggies, but in a pinch frozen green beans make a nice side.

Ingredients:

  • 4-6 tilapia fillets
  • 1 teaspoon dried ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon seasame oil
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

*If there’s an ingredient you really love - add more! 

Directions:

  • Pat the tilapia fillets dry and arrange them in a microwave safe baking dish.
  • Sprinkle with all other ingredients and cover with a paper towel.
  • Microwave for five minutes and check for doneness. If the fish requires more cooking, hit it one minute at a time until it flakes easily with a fork.

It’s that easy. Bake some frozen eggrolls to accompany your Asian gourmet creation and your family will think you planned this meal for weeks!

More Exciting Tilapia Recipes to Try:

Indian Tilapia - Bright color and bursting with flavor.

Tilapia Piccata - Parsley, lemon, and capers come together in one pan.

Tilapia Tacos - Cabbage, lime, and Southwest seasonings. Yum!

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Regal Springs Contest - Winning Tilapia Recipe

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

recipeofthemonth-tialpiatostados

Tilapia Tostados are destined to become a family favorite now that Emily Hobbs has let us all in on her spicy secret! Try out this amazing recipe and let us know what you think. 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped canned pineapple, drained
  • 1/3 cup canned corn, drained
  • 3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped, jarred pickled jalapeno peppers
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 1 tsp. salt, divided
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream
  • 1/4 cup salsa verde
  • 20 tostada shells
  • 2 1/2 tsp. ground chili powder
  • 1 lb. Regal Springs tilapia filets, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro 

Directions:

  1. To make the pineapple salsa, in a medium bowl, stir together beans, pineapple, corn, jalapeno, scallion, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until well combined; set aside. To make the salsa verde crema, in a small bowl, stir together sour cream and salsa verde until combined; set aside.
  2. Take 8 of the tostada shells, break them up, add to a food processor and process until ground; place in a medium bowl, and stir in chili powder, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until well combined. Dredge the tilapia pieces into tostada mixture to coat completely and set aside.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Working in two batches, saute tilapia pieces 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown and cooked through; transfer pieces to paper towels to drain. To assemble tostadas, spoon pineapple salsa onto remaining tostada shells, evenly top with tilapia pieces and a drizzle of salsa verde crema. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

Makes 4 servings (3 tostadas each).

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Winner of Tilapia Recipe Contest Announced!

Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
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Emily Hobbs and her tilapia tostadas.

She’s 24 and still lives with Mom and Dad. But don’t you dare assume Emily Hobbs lacks ambition.  This determined waitress has been scrimping pennies for eight years with the hopes of fulfilling her dream in the next year of attending the French Culinary Institute in New York, a goal that was spurred by a trip to France when Emily was a senior at Ozark High in Missouri.

Now, thanks to Regal Springs Tilapia, it looks like Emily might be one step closer to that dream.

Emily, who cooks constantly in her spare time, says she enters hundreds of cooking contests. She’s had some success, winning a few hundred bucks here and there or a trip to compete in a contest, but she hit the jackpot recently when she won top prize in the company’s cooking contest. Emily beat out 300 other entrants nationwide to bring home the $5,000 prize, by far the most money she’s ever won.

“When I got the call that I had won, I was in shock,” Emily said. “I’m so grateful.”

When Regal Springs Tilapia put out the call for creative and cost-conscious cooks to devise frugal family meals that cost less than $15 to prepare, Emily went to work. When she wasn’t serving tourists chicken gizzards at Lambert’s Café, she was thinking about cooking the mild whitefish. 

In the back of her mind were a couple of heart-breaking near misses.

In January, she competed against three other contestants on the Food Network’s “Ultimate Recipe Showdown.” Despite the recipe category being one of her favorites–comfort food–she came up short, losing by just one point. In 2006, she won a trip to New York to compete in a beer cook-off. She prepared a tempting caramelized onion and eggplant crostini, but again missed out. 

This time she was determined the outcome would be different. Emily, a huge fan of Mexican food, started tinkering with tostados.

“I was thinking about fish tacos with this contest, but everyone does a fish taco. So I thought about a tostado and how fun it would be for kids to put their own toppings on them.”

The result was clearly a winner.

A team of four restaurant chefs judged the contest, pouring over the entries to determine the winning recipe based on its creativity, ingredients and thoroughness of instructions. Judges were: Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno, Roger Herring of Socca, Chris Macchia of Coco Pazzo and Dirk Flanigan of The Gage, all restaurants in Chicago.

“The thought that went into these recipes was unbelievable,” says Flanigan. “The winning recipes were created by grandmothers, soccer moms, culinary students and even professional chefs. I was surprised by how creative they were and how they could integrate a mild-tasting fish like tilapia into a meal for under $15. The top recipes included tostados, tilapia cake and lettuce wraps.”

Mike Picchietti, president of Regal Springs Tilapia, said:

“We were amazed at the response we received from coast to coast. We look forward to sharing these healthy recipes on our website so that more families can enjoy incorporating tilapia into their weekly menu plan.” 

Click here for the prize-winning recipe, Tilapia Tostados.

In addition to the grand prizewinner, Emily Hobbs, who took home $5,000, there were five finalists who each earned $150 and a three-month supply of Regal Springs Tilapia. There were also five honorable mentions.

Finalists:

Honorable Mentions:

Image Credit: Regal Springs Tilapia

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Recipe: Mediterranean Tilapia

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

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This is one of the first recipes I ever used with tilapia. Orginally, it was something I saw on Martha Stewart. But you know how Martha is. Her version calls for Chilean sea bass, or rather - the ‘very best Chilean sea bass’. Cut to me sitting on my Ikea sofa with a leaky roof and two under two, and well- fancy fish wasn’t exactly in the budget. Even if I’d been flush with cash, a special trip to the fish market wouldn’t have been a priority between co-op preschool shifts and hundreds of diapers a week. I needed a good, inexpensive substitute that I could find at the local grocery store.

Hello tilapia! 

Mediterranean Tilapia

Ingredients:

  • 4 5-7 oz. fresh tilapia fillets (I like Regal Springs tilapia found at Costco, Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Marsh Food stores and Jewel grocery stores.)
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes*
  • 1/2 - 1 cup olives - any kind you like - greek, black, green, etc.
  • ¼ cup capers
  • 2-3 cloves crushed garlic (or like 20, whatever  you like!)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

  1. Cut the tomatoes and olives in half and cook with garlic, capers and olive oil for 5 minutes on medium heat - until tomatoes start to soften.
  2. Add fish and cover, cooking for 5 more minutes until fish flakes with a fork.

How easy is that? (The original recipe called for stove top cooking, followed by a stint in the oven. Bah! You can do it all in the skillet.) This dish is great with couscous to sop up the sauce.

*The cherry tomatoes on the vine have amazing flavor for this dish. However, they’re pricey so I usually opt for the less expensive clam shell pack of grape tomatoes. If you grow your own - even better!

Image Credit: david.nikonvscanon, Flickr

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Get Kids Hooked on Fish

Thursday, August 13th, 2009

child_eating_fish

You know you want the kids to eat fish, but how do you get them hooked?

Chicago chef and instructor Laura Valcour, who teachers cooking classes for kids, suggests there are several ways to get kids to eat fish.

She recommends:

  • Serve them fish that isn’t fishy tasting. Tilapia is inexpensive, easy to cook and has a mild taste that kids enjoy. (Frozen bags of Regal Springs Tilapia at Costco and Krogers are inexpensive and taste as good as fresh fish).

I can’t agree more with this one. One of my kids absolutely goes insane for salmon, but most kids don’t . And speaking of salmon, that brings up another point about fishy tasting fish. Sometimes fish gets that icky taste when it’s overcooked. Tilapia’s one of the easiest fish to cook so you’re less likely to make a fishy faux pas.

  • Keep the “fish” word to a minimum. Some kids may not try fish because they assume they won’t like it. Once they try it, they often learn to love it.

My jury’s still out on straight-up deception, but if kids are young enough, you can pass fish off as chicken. Why not?

  • Involve kids in the preparation and cooking process, which will help get them excited about the meal.

I guess if you have more patience than I do, this is a good idea. It depends on the age of the kids, as well as their interests and personalities.

  • Make the dish they love, just substitute fish. For example, instead of meat tacos, try fish tacos (using a very mild fish such as tilapia or white fish).

They probably won’t even notice the switch.

  • Use creative dips and sauces. Try ketchup, barbecue sauce and even honey.

Breaded, fried, and ketchup-ed? Not the healthiest option, but I promise you almost any child will eat it.

  • Let them play with their food. Encourage them to help garnish, make smiley faces on the fish with herbs and olives and build towers with fish sticks. Also, put a marinade into a squeeze bottle and let kids decorate the fish.

I LOVE the squeeze bottle idea. Let them decorate the plate too. Fancy chefs do it; why not our kids?

  • Experiment with fun shapes and sizes. Use cookie cutters to create star, heart and diamond shapes.

I’m not down with this one, but more power to you. (I draw the line at tiny triangle sandwiches.)

  • Take your kids to the fish counter and ask them to select the one they’d like to try.

Could work, so long as the fish are not alive, in which case this could cause some serious nightmares at my house.

  • Lead by example, when your children see you enjoying fish, they will want to try it too.

This is by far the most important tip. If eating fish is just a normal part of family life, kids will eat it. Trust me. My kids eat fish all the time.

I would add that some good old fashioned ‘because I said so’ goes a long way. If you want your kids to eat fish, they will. You’re in charge, remember?

To download five kid-friendly fish recipes, log on to www.RegalSprings.com and click on “Friday Fish for Kids” recipes.

Image Credit: eyeliam, Flickr

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Shake Up Your Tacos With Tilapia

Saturday, August 1st, 2009

fish_taco

One of my favorite summer dishes is fish tacos. This fish recipe is also a great one to make in the fall, when cabbage is practically free!

Ingredients:

  • 8 small corn tortillas (or flour, if you must)
  • 4 -5 tilapia fillets
  • garlic (as much as you like), pressed
  • lime juice from a couple of limes
  • 2 tablespoons southwest seasoning
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • salt
  • 1/4 - 1/2 head of cabbage
  • 1 onion
  • Optional Toppings: cilantro, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, minced onions, salsa

Directions:

  1. Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add tilapia.
  2. Add half of each of the lime juice, salt, cumin & southwest seasoning. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Flip the fish and season with other half of juice, salt, cumin, and southwest seasoning. Cooking until golden. Remove to a plate.
  4. In the same skillet, cook the cabbage and onions until soft. Add the pressed garlic at the end if you like it strong, or earlier if you prefer it mild.
  5. Break up fish and mix in with vegetables.
  6. Heat tortillas in the microwave. (Or you can do it in the pan if you’re a real go-getter!)
  7. Fill tortillas with a portion of fish & then top this with desired toppings. (Honestly, the only topping I like on these is cilantro and maybe a little salsa. At our house we don’t really bother with the traditional toppings for fish tacos because they’re so flavorful on their own!)

Enjoy!

Note: Sometimes, if I can find them, I add those little matchstick cut carrots that come packaged in the produce section. They add a nice color element to the dish. If you have a julienne tool, you could also do some carrots that way. It makes the dish a little prettier, but it’s totally optional.

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Tilapia Recipe Contest Deadline is August 1st

Thursday, July 9th, 2009

The deadline for Regal Springs recipe contest is coming up! I know you have a tilapia recipe that your friends and family adore. Regal Springs is holding a contest to reward your culinary creative genius! Enter your tasty, budget-friendly tilapia recipe for a chance to win $5,000! (more…)

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Top 5 Ways to Make a Healthy Dinner in 20 Minutes

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009

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Need dinner on the table quick? Grab a few tilapia fillets and you’re on your way. What’s that you say? They’re still in the freezer? No worries. Thaw them lickity split in cool water. It’ll only add five or ten minutes to your total meal prep time. This is why we LOVE tilapia.

#1 - Bake It

Season your fish while the oven preheats and by the time it’s hot, you’re ready to slide your meal into the oven. Tilapia only takes about ten minutes to bake at 350 degrees. If you’re in a real time crunch, stick it under the broiler for about two minutes, then flip and hit the other side for another two or three minutes. (Just don’t get distracted or you’ll be eating tilapia jerky for dinner.)

Cheesy Broiled Tilapia is a great recipe for the oven.

#2 - Grill It

Grilling not only gets dinner on the table in record time, it also keeps the kitchen clean. You can go all out with custom spice rubs and sauces, or you can shortcut it with a little premixed cajun seasoning or some store bought salsa. Check out the summer grilling tips we rounded up last month for some great ideas.

#3 - Fry It

Frying gets a bad name, but as long as you pour the oil in moderation, there’s really nothing too unhealthy about a good old fashioned fish fry. Try Classic Cornmeal Crusted Tilapiaon your next Fryday Fishday!

#4 - Saute It

If I had to pick a favorite way to prepare my tilapia, this might be it. Flavor-wise, I think sauteing gives you the biggest bang for your calories. And tilapia cooks so quickly that the time it takes to get the ingredients together still doesn’t put these recipes over the twenty minute mark. Try Tilapia Piccata and let me know if you agree.

#5 - Microwave It

Oh wait, I take it back - microwaving is my favorite way to prepare tilapia - at least when I’m in a hurry. This is my go-to lunch method. Just me, my micro, and a few choice ingredients. My super easy lunch recipe: one tilapia fillet, top with a little soy sauce, and some powdered ginger and garlic salt. A minute in the microwave yields a tasty, high protein lunch.

There you have it - 5 ways to get a healthy dinner (or lunch!) on the table in twenty minutes (or less!).

Image Credit: digicla, Flickr

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