Recipe Box - Pan-Seared Tilapia and Summer Spaghetti

I posted a photo on Facebook the other day of a meal I had cooked, and I got a lot of comments on it. So for those who are interested, here's my recipe...

Pan-Seared Tilapia in a Ginger-Shallot Butter with Summer Spaghetti
Serves 4

Summer Spaghetti

Ingredients

2 cups diced tomatoes (Romas are great for this, or just used canned)
½ cup roasted peppers (roast your own or buy them in a jar) - optional
2 cloves of chopped garlic (or, if you’re me? 4 cloves)
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
A handful of fresh basil leaves (just the leaves, please)
10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Half of a 14.5 oz. box of angel hair pasta (I use Barilla Whole Grain)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Throw the tomatoes, peppers, and garlic into a NASA-hot skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil. Toss them for 2-3 minutes, just enough to get them hot.

In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, peppers, garlic, vinegar, basil, and olive oil. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to get their groove on.

Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to instruction on the pa—no, you know what? If you’re older than twelve and can’t cook pasta, you don’t need a recipe. You need a helmet. Just cook it, ok? Drain the pasta and toss with the love soup going on in the bowl. Adjust the seasoning if it needs it.

Pan-Seared Tilapia in a Ginger-Shallot Butter

Ingredients

4 filets fresh tilapia
2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
½ cup of butter (oh, relax. It’s feeding four people. I use Smart Balance anyway)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Get that skillet NASA hot again. Add the ginger, shallots, and butter. Toss it around until the shallots get a little brown on them and the butter is all melted, then transfer it all to a bowl.

While your skillet’s rebuilding heat, season your tilapia filets. Once it’s smoking add a little olive oil, then add them to the skillet. They should be all sizzly and smoky. If they’re not, you didn’t let your skillet get hot enough. Let them cook until the edges start to pull away from the skillet, just a couple of minutes. If they move when you gently shake the skillet, they’re ready to turn. They should have a nice crust.

Once you flip them, let them cook for about a minute, then add the ginger-shallot butter back into the skillet, cook for another minute, then turn the heat off. Carryover cooking will do the rest.

Plate up your summer spaghetti, and then slide a beautiful golden brown tilapia filet over it. Make sure and get some of that ginger-shallot butter on there. Enjoy!


~Alan