Saturday, March 17, 2012

Tilapia a la Provencal


by Peg Cochran


I started making this dish following a recipe where the fish was broiled and then covered with the tomato sauce…which contained capers and no Herbes de Provence. I decided there was no reason to broil the fish when instead it could be simmered in this tasty tomato sauce. I wasn’t sure if my family would like the capers so I omitted those and threw in the Herbes de Provence—a mixture of various herbs which might include marjoram, thyme, savory, basil, rosemary, sage and fennel seeds. Some mixtures might also include lavender.








It was a very quick and easy dinner that is also relatively low-calorie so my character, Gigi Fitzgerald, from my Gourmet De-Lite series, would definitely approve!



Tilapia a la Provencal

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 tilapia fillets (or other mild white fish), approximately 6 oz. each
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, diced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
¼ cup white wine or vermouth
½ teaspoon Herbes de Provence
Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium sauté pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic and diced onions and sauté 3 to 4 minutes until translucent.










Add tomatoes and sauté briefly. Add wine or vermouth and bring to a boil for 30 to 60 seconds to burn off alcohol. Stir in salt and pepper to taste and Herbes de Provence. Simmer on low for 5 minutes.











Place fish on top of tomato mixture and spoon some tomatoes over top of the fish. Cover and simmer until fish is opaque and done—approximately 5 to 7 minutes depending on thickness.

Serve over rice or orzo (rice shaped pasta).


4 comments:

  1. I know so many people who would love this dish, including me! Despite my occasional posts of cake recipes, I've been trying to shed some pounds, and this would be the perfect light meal without sacrificing flavor.

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete
  2. Krista, it has more flavor than I expected, and I was very satisfied (I'm trying to lose those few pounds, too!).

    ReplyDelete
  3. If you're not a fish eater, I'm guessing this would be equally good with boneless chicken breasts. I would just slice them in half horizontally so they would be thinner and cook more quickly.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Peg, I love white fish in an herb and tomato base. Lovely. And yes, good for dieters.

    ~Avery

    ReplyDelete