le blog de tranny

I’ve made this recipe twice now and I can safely call it mine. It’s super tasty and takes only about half an hour to make. It goes great with crusty bread and a nice salad (which is how I’ve had it both times). I use the thin tilapia filets they sell at Trader Joe’s. OK, here goes.

1. Lay the tilapia down in a baking pan. Season both sides of each filet with lemon juice, salt and pepper. (I read somewhere that tilapia pairs really well with citrus flavors.. like most white fish I suppose.)

2. Then, brush both sides of each filet with a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic and chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley and/or cilantro.

3. Broil the tilapia in the oven for about 4 minutes per side. Meanwhile, make the topping.

4. Saute sliced onions in a bit of olive oil until they are translucent, then add chopped baby heirlooms or cherry tomatoes to the pan along with minced garlic and other vegetables that make sense, such as sliced squash and strips of bell pepper, or spinach. You want the tomatoes to be almost stewed. Don’t forget to season with salt and pepper! Add some quartered pitted kalamata olives in the final minutes of cooking and cover the pan to avoid losing liquid. Turn off the heat and top with strips of fresh basil. Here’s what mine looked like the first time:

5. Remove the tilapia from the oven. It should look something like this:

6. Serve the tilapia filets with the sauteed vegetables on top. Here’s some pictures of the final presentation that are unfortunately a wee dark.

Again, the fish goes great with a chopped salad like the one Jane made (pictured below), or just a plain leafy green salad (like the one Caro made the second time) as well.