Skip to main content

Tilapia With Zucchini and Tomatoes en Papillote

***I love cooking with tilapia...it's light, fresh, and doesn't have that strong "fishy" taste. I've made it a number of ways...broiled, fried, baked...pecan-crusted, lemon-flavored, etc. But, I have to say that this recipe from Cooks Illustrated is one of my favorite tilapia recipes I've prepared. The fish came out incredibly tender and moist, with a great flavor. This is certainly because of the way it's cooked...in a packet of aluminum foil. This is one of those dishes that won't leave you feeling too stuffed. It's light but very satisfying. I might be making it again tonight for dinner...it's that good!***

"En Papillote" (a.k.a. - foil packet)


Ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper
3 medium plum tomatoes (about 12 ounces), cored, seeded, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces each), sliced
1/4-inch-thick
4 haddock fillets, 1-inch-thick (about 6 ounces each)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves



Directions:
Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 F. Combine the oil, garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Measure half of the oil mixture into a separate medium bowl and toss gently with the tomatoes. Add the zucchini to the remaining olive-oil mixture and toss to coat.

Cut four 12-inch squares of heavy-duty foil and lay them flat on a work surface. Shingle the zucchini in the center of each piece of foil. Season the fillets with salt and pepper and place on top of the zucchini. Top the fish with the tomatoes, then tightly crimp the foil into packets.

Set the packets on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until the fish just flakes apart, about 20 minutes. Carefully open the packets, allowing the steam to escape away from you, and let cool briefly. Smooth out the edges of the foil and, using a spatula, gently push the fish, vegetables and any accumulated juices out onto warmed dinner plates. Sprinkle with the basil before serving.

Source: Cook's Illustrated - Light Recipes Special Issue

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Absolutely Sinful Cinnamon Rolls

***Alrighty, here are the cinnamon rolls that I mentioned in my previous post. I put these together on Christmas Eve, and then baked them on Christmas morning. Let me just tell you...there's nothing quite like the smell of yummy cinnamon rolls wafting through the house on Christmas morning...ahhhhh...so wonderful! This is going to be a new tradition for us...fresh, homemade rolls on Christmas. I thought that I might try this recipe, and then maybe try a new one next year...until I found one that I really loved. However, I hit the jackpot on the first try! This is THE recipe that I'll always use. UPDATE:   Since originally writing this post in 2008, I've  made these cinnamon rolls every year for Christmas!  They are a holiday tradition that my family looks forward to all year!  You can see my other posts here, with lots more photos of these sinful cinnamon rolls: CHRISTMAS 2009 CHIRSTMAS 2010 CHRISTMAS 2011 The great thing was that I could prepare them on Christmas

My Favorite Quiche!

***It's not often that a recipe is worthy of re-posting.  I think I've only done that once or twice in the entire time I've written this blog.  However, this is one of those rare occasions.  Back in 2009 when Brad and I went to Europe, we had the most amazing Quiche Lorraine at the incredible Les Deux Magots cafe in Paris.  It was delicious and was served alongside a yummy salad of fresh greens (Quiche Lorraine sur Salade Verte).  Oh, it was heaven on a plate!  It also didn't hurt that we were sitting on the patio of one of the most famous cafes in Paris, after all...haha.  The atmosphere and people-watching in that particular area are hard to beat. I'll never forget the elderly lady that was sitting at the table right next to us (the tables were situated pretty close together).  She was dressed to-the-nines, was all by herself, and was just the quintessential, classy Parisian lady.  I wish more than anything that I had tried to strike up a conversation with her

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread - Southern Living

***There seriously aren't very many things that smell better than Banana Nut Bread baking in the oven.   Don't you agree?  This recipe for Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread from Southern Living magazine was one of the very first recipes that I added to this blog...back in November 2007!  In fact, I came across it when I worked for the magazine as a Marketing Intern.  Back then, I didn't have a photo for every recipe, and the blog post was simply the recipe and nothing else.  Because this is my go-to recipe for Banana Nut Bread (and because it is so amazing!), I thought that it deserved a little more attention.  This is quite honestly some of the best Banana Nut Bread that I've ever had.  An entire 8oz. package of cream cheese is added right to the batter, along with 4 mashed bananas.  The cream cheese adds so much to this recipe, with an incredibly moist texture being the main component.  Plus, the roasted pecans are the perfect addition.  Roasting the nuts brings out