Tropical Tilapia Recipe

This was a dish I came up for a person that claimed that they hated all naked fish dishes because they tasted too fishy. The person liked fried fish, just not fish without breading. I told them that they needed to try my fish and I did manage to change their mind. Now they're always bugging me for more fish. The trick with fish is seasoning and what you pair it with.

Seasoning:

Black Pepper

Turmeric 

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

(For the seasoning I say season to your specific tastes. I did go heavier on the turmeric for this batch since I knew that it would pair well with the pineapple.)

Tilapia

Cauliflower

1 Can Pineapple

Pearl Onions

Half a Clover of Garlic

Coconut Flakes

Butter

This overall is not a colorful dish (it's mostly white and yellow). Some people do not find dishes low on color appealing. You could switch the cauliflower up for a vegie of your choice. I'm just a fan of cauliflower. Also for this dish I didn't want to use vegies that could overpower the taste of the fish, because I wanted the fish to shine. The pearl onions are also just a great addition to most dishes.

Thaw the fish out before cooking (I would recommend letting it thaw overnight in the fridge).

Start by smearing the bottom of the tray with butter (you could use spray if you like that better). I also like to line my trays with foil for easy cleanup. Then lay out your fish (I did 4 per tray so that I could get the other items on the same tray).

Surround the fish with the cauliflower, pearl onions, and garlic. Then place the pineapple all around. Try to make everything the same layer, but it is ok if the items are stacked a little, as long as nothing is on the fish. You will also want to pour in some of the light syrup from the pineapple can. You will want to pour in enough where it is evenly spread over the base of the tray, but not so much that it covers the food. Then season everything. Once it is seasoned you will want to add a good layer of coconut flakes to the fish. You can also add some flakes to the vegies as well if you like.

For cooking the package recommended 7-15 minutes at 400. I actually let mine cook for about around 45 minutes. I cooked it longer due to both the vegies being frozen and that I wanted the coconut flakes to get toasted a little. The key to a longer cooking time without drying out the fish is the light syrup in the tray. This helps keep the moisture in the fish. After the 15 minutes you will want to keep checking in on it to make sure that the coconut flakes do not burn. Based on how you like your coconut you can go for less time, but if you do not thaw out your vegies you will still need extra cooking time for them.

When you plate up the dish you could add a side for extra color if you like. I was trying to also keep the portion size small for this dish to help with weight loss, but additional sides are always an option.