September 8, 2008

Tilapia with Lemon Basil Vinaigrette

A few weeks ago, Alex and I went to our friend Paul's for a delicious Sunday night dinner. His girlfriend Stephanie is a great cook/baker and a fellow cheeseaholic. She grilled tilapia with this amazing lemon-basil sauce and I had to have the recipe. Seriously, it turned me back on to tilapia, which I had sworn off after seeing a particulary disturbing episode of Dirty Jobs.
She sent me the link and it was a really easy vinaigrette to mix together. While she marinated her fish for about 20 minutes before grilling, I just let the fish sit for a few minutes before broiling it. Either way is good, but personally, I liked the grilled flavor a little bit more. Too bad we can't grill on our 6th floor balcony!
The vinaigrette has really good flavor and can be used on basically any light fish (halibut, tilapia, cod, etc...). I doubled this recipe and had just enough for 4 fillets.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 TBS fresh lemon juice (if you're feeling wild, add lime too!)
2 TBS olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
3 tsp thinly sliced fresh basil or 3 teaspoons dried
2 tsp drained capers
a few small pinches of sugar to cut the tartness..maybe 1.5 tsp?

2-4 fillets of fish (be sure to double if using 4)

Instructions:
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and lemon peel. Mix in the basil and capers, and let the mixture sit for about an hour (at room temperature). You can season with S&P, but I don't think it needs it!

If you are grilling fish, marinate for no more than 20 minutes beforehand. The acid in the lemon will actually start to cook the fish if you leave it for too long! If you aren't grilling, then let the fish sit in the marinade for 5 minutes or so while the broiler preheats. Broil 6-8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your fillets. Your fish is done when it's white and flaky.

2 comments:

What's Cookin Chicago said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

This looks great! We love eating seafood and I'm always on the lookout for fish recipes. Thanks for sharing!

Anonymous said...Best Blogger Tips[Reply to comment]Best Blogger Templates

We'll be trying this one for sure!