Red and Green Tilapia

 This really is an old, make that very old recipe. It is however, clearly one that I think is a keeper. I simplified it even further and re-made it today. I used our summer tomatoes for this. Actually, I do that in a lot of cooking for almost up to March.

So, the process is very simple, I chop the tomatoes and freeze them in ziplock bags, that I pull out as I need them. What you get after the bag has thawed just a little, usually about half an hour outside the freezer is something that looks like this picture of chopped icy tomatoes.

They tend to be more watery than fresh tomatoes, but work perfectly well in Indian cooking, since we tend to cook the tomato down till it is nice and saucy. I have generally learnt to adjust the liquid content in any recipe that I use that a little, but cannot be happier with having the simplicity of using garden produce a snowy January day.

Red and Green Tilapia

Prep Time: 35 minutes (mostly to marinate the fish)

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 small orange or clementine

1 large lime or lemon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

Several Grinds of fresh black pepper

1 and 1/2 pounds of tilapia fillets

Cooking Spray

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 pods garlic

3 tomatoes, cut into a dice (I used 1 and 1/2 cup of the frozen variety)

1/3 cup white wine

1 tablespoon minced green chilies

1 tablespoon raw brown sugar

3/4 cup chopped scallions

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation 

1. Zest the orange and the lime.

2. Squeeze the orange and lime juice into a bowl.

3. Place the tilapia fillets and toss over the turmeric and the salt and generously grind the black pepper over the fish and let the fish marinate for 30 minutes.

4. Remove the fish and place in a single layer on a baking dish. Reserve the leftover marinade.

5. Spray with the baking spray and begin broiling on low. Turn once after about 3 to 4 minutes. Spray with the baking spray and cook for another 3 minutes, the fish should be lightly crisped at spots and be almost golden brown.

6. While the fish is broiling, place a skillet on the stovetop.

7. Heat the oil and add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes, until the garlic begins to turn golden.

8. Add in the tomatoes and stir lightly for 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes releases its juices (note, if you are using fresh tomatoes, add in the white wine at this point of time).

9. Add in the chilies, brown sugar and bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Add in the reserved citrus marinade and the zest.

10. Add in the scallions and turn off the heat.

11. Pour this sauce over the hot fish. Let it rest for 5 minutes, the fish will absorb the moisture and the sauce will coat the fish.

12. Sprinkle with the chopped cilantro and serve.

 January is Citrus Love, month and there is a blog hop showcasing this. I am excited to send over this recipe for the blog hop.