I can't tell you how many times I've ruined a good piece of fish. Absolutely ruined it. Either didn't cook it long enough or burned it to a crisp.
I'm excited to say I finally got it right! The tilapia we ate for dinner one night this week was turned out beautiful and truly tasty! Flaky and moist on the inside. Crisp and full of flavor on the outside. I think fish might begin to make a regular appearance on our dinner table.
At first I wasn't sure how to fix this fish (I did not want to ruin ANOTHER dinner!), so I googled for a few ideas. I was looking for a recipe that would be fast, have few ingredients, and would be super easy for the beginner fish chef that I am.
This recipe really fits that description! It is so easy and has such great results! You simply coat the fish in a dry rub made of three ingredients. Let the flavors come together for about 30 minutes in the fridge and grill it for about 6 minutes. Easy peasy.
If you are intimidated by the thought of cooking fish, please give this super easy recipe a try. I used frozen tilapia that I thawed partially in the microwave for 6 minutes on defrost and then allowed the fish to sit on the counter for about 20 minutes. Worked just fine. No fishy flavor at all. It tasted fresh & delicious and the chili is not overpowering. Michael, who has never been a fan of fish, ate the entire piece and said, "You know honey, I really didn't think I was going to like this... but it's great!"
Personally, I loved the addition of peach salsa on the fish to give a tiny bit of sweetness to cut the heat of the chili. If you're not a fan of peach salsa, use what you like... heck, Michael would probably eat it with ketchup!
Grilled Chili-Lime Tilapia with Peach Salsa
Adapted from a recipe on Foodnetwork.com
Free of gluten, dairy/casein, and soy
Printer-friendly recipe
1 lb. fresh tilapia (2 filets)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 tablespoons gluten free peach salsa
Directions:
Rinse & pat dry the tilapia and set on a large plate. In a small bowl stir together the dry rub: chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Rub the spice mix over the fish until they are fully coated. Cover plate of fish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow the spices to meld. Heat grill pan 10 minutes before cooking. Get the grill pan very hot (a droplet of water should sizzle immediately). Brush olive oil on the spice-rubbed fish and place onto the grill. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side until the fish is fork tender & gently flakes. Plate grilled fish and sprinkle each serving with lime juice. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of salsa on top of each filet and serve with fresh spinach or steamed broccoli!
Enjoy!
