My Recipes: Chili Tomato Tilapia

I had been wanting to cook some fish for a healthy meal and finally got around to purchasing some fresh tilapia last week. Normally, I cook white fish and salmon simple with lemon juice, ground sea salt and pepper. But this time I was after something with a kick, so I called on some pre-mixed chili con carne seasoning that packed some flavor but wasn't too spicy. It incorporates chile pepper, tomato powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, coriander, onion, garlic, sweet red and green bell peppers, celery flakes, arrowroot (never heard of that one), allspice and cloves. 

I blackened both sides of each tilapia in a large saute pan, along with some halved baby tomatoes to pile on top. (I love those when they're soft and slightly charred.) For seasoning, I heated about a tablespoon of EVOO in the pan, then dropped in the fish, squeezed some fresh lemon on top, threw on some sea salt and sprinkled the tilapia with the chili con carne seasoning. Each side only took 2-3 minutes to cook, I normally do it on high heat and stay close to be sure I flip the fish when the edges start becoming opaque or white (as shown in the photo).

Meanwhile, I had some broccoli drizzled in lemon juice steaming in a pot nearby. When this was done, I topped it with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt (the latter carries so much more flavor then regular table salt, in my opinion).

To finish off the plate, I threw together a quick salad of mixed greens, shredded Parmesan cheese, raisins, croutons and (more) baby tomatoes with a light red raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Yum yum!

Of course, all this cooking is much more enjoyable when you have a nice view of your sweet little pet heads in the window. :) 

Happy eating!