I came across this baked tilapia dish on the kitchn, and thought it would work well as a salad. Man, was I right! Not only that, but the asian-flavors marinade, made with white wine, soy, and sesame oil, makes a great warm salad dressing. This is a super-quick, super-simple meal that we’ll definitely be adding to the rotation.

Chris says:

This might be one of my favorite ways we’ve prepared tilapia.

Lisa says:

I agree — it’s so delicious. That sauce is awesome.

Chris says:

I didn’t even think about using it as the salad dressing until I pulled the pan out of the oven. It just smelled incredible — the wine, the ginger… so aromatic.

Lisa says:

I love the green onions and extra cilantro on top.

Chris says:

Me too. I don’t think I’d change a thing!

Lisa says:

It worked out perfectly. I definitely won’t complain if we have this again…

Ginger and Cilantro Baked Tilapia
2-3 tilapia fillets - about 3/4 pound
1 jalapeno pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 inch grated ginger (1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon spicy sesame oil
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Scallions, chopped for garnish
Extra cilantro, to garnish
1 package/bag Mixed Baby Salad Greens

Heat the oven to 475F. Pat the fish dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place in a glass baking dish.
Chop the pepper and garlic, and grate the ginger. Put in a small food processor with the soy sauce, white wine, sesame oil, and cilantro. Mix until blended. Pour the sauce over the fish, pressing the solid ingredients down into the fish a bit. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily and is cooked through.
Divide the salad greens between two plates. Remove the tilapia with a spatula and place half on top of the greens on each plate. Drizzle the fish with the marinade left in the pan. Serve with warm, crusty bread.

2 Servings

Abbie and Carrie were over tonight and we made this tilapia dish again; the rice is totally the star of the show. It’s mixed with oranges, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, onions… totally delicious. The last time we made this was for an International Potluck — not only did I not have time to properly photograph the dish, but we didn’t post recipes then, so I figured it deserved a second run.

Chris says:

I forgot how good this was.

Abbie says:

Usually when I have tilapia I think it’s too “fishy”… but this is great. Maybe it’s the marinade. And awwww… thanks for making my plate with parsley instead of cilantro…

Chris says:

No problem (weirdo)… besides, that’s more cilantro for us!

Carrie says:

This is so good — I love it!

Lisa says:

I’m just taking little bites, which don’t seem like much, but then add those up…

Carrie says:

I know!

Chris says:

Hey… leave some for Thad!

Costa Rican Tilapia
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons minced garlic
1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
6 tilapia fillets, about 5 ounces each
3/4 cup long-grain rice
1 cup chopped onions
2 oranges, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (15 ounces) black or pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the tilapia marinade, combine lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar in a shallow dish. Add tilapia and marinate 15 minutes, turning once.
To prepare the bean and rice mixture, cook the rice according to package directions and keep warm while the tilapia is marinating. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, high-sided skillet or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onions; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, oranges, tomatoes, beans, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne. Cook, uncovered, until hot, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer hot rice to a 9 by 13 inch or 2-1/2 to 3 quart baking dish. Spoon the bean mixture on top of rice and gently blend. Slightly overlap tilapia fillets on top and scrape marinade over fillets. Bake until the flesh of the tilapia just begins to flake at the nudge of a fork, 16 to 20 minutes.

6 Servings

This recipe from Elise’s Simply Recipes is quick and flavorful. Tilapia is cooked in a tomato, mushroom, and olive sauce, right on the stove. We served the fish with a side of orzo.

Lisa says:

My, these green olive chunks are big…

Chris says:

The better for you to pick them out, my dear.

Lisa says:

I’m not that picky, here, I’ll try one…

Chris says:

Yay!

Lisa says:

…and only one. I do like the flavor of the sauce though!

Chris says:

I like the speed of this dish. I’m all for getting food to my mouth sooner.

Tilapia with Pimiento Sauce
(via Simply Recipes)
———————————
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, cut into thin wedges
1 clove garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed olives, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 6-8 ounce tilapia fillets

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil, then cook the onions until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, cooking for an additional minute. Add the tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, oregano, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Add each tilapia fillet to the pan and cover with some sauce. Bring back to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
Use a wide spatula to gently remove the fish from the pan, transfer to a serving plate, and top with the sauce.

4 Servings

Tonight we had an International Potluck Dinner with some friends; our “entry” was this Tilapia dish. The fish is marinated in lime, garlic, cilantro, and a bit of oil, and baked over a dish of rice that’s been mixed with black beans, tomatoes, oranges, and various spices. This picture doesn’t really do it justice; it was delicious! The rice was really different, we loved the bits of orange in it.

Recipe: Costa Rican Tilapia