Pistachio & Lemon Dusted Tilapia

 

We've been eating more fish in our home in recent years, and moving away from red meat.  Poultry and fish is what we eat most of the time now, with the odd piece of red meat.  Not only is fish delicious but it is a lot better for you at the end of the day.

 

Fish is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2 (riboflavin). It is also rich in calcium and phosphorus and a great source of minerals, such as iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium. The Heart Association recommends eating fish at least two times per week as part of a healthy diet.

 

A few weeks back I got some fish from Seafresh, the online fish monger.  I really like their products and their service. Not only is their fish of a really high quality and provenance, but the packaging and delivery service is impeccable.  Everything arrives in a timely manner, frozen, well wrapped and expertly packaged. All of their packaging is environmentally friendly.  Their fish and seafood is sustainably sourced and is frozen in as short a time possible after harvesting, at the source of the catch, which means that you are getting the freshest fish and seafood that you can possibly buy.  There really is a marked difference between their fish and others I have tasted. I also find that they have wonderful customer service, much better than a lot of other food product companies I have dealt with. They really DO want your experience with them to be the best and it shows in the care and attention given to every detail.

  

Included in my order was some Tilapia. I love trying new kinds of fish and this was one I had not eaten before.  I told my friends about it and immediately I got some negative feedback from a few people on Tilapia.  I was then a bit uncertain as what to do about it.

 

But you know, people say a lot of negative things about certain foods without really knowing what they are talking about and so I decided to research it a bit, and here is a bit about what I found out.

 

Its a farm-raised fish with a mild tasting and flaky, yet firm flesh. Loaded with nutrition, it is also very versatile. You can fry it for tacos, cook it in a soup or a stew,  or broil it and stick it in a bun.  Its happy and delicious any way you decided to cook it. Although it is a fish that is native to the Middle East it is now grown in fisheries in more than 80 different countries.  Truth be told, the fish that Jesus served to his followers was most probably, Tilapia, and this is according to Biblical Scholars.

 

Not only is it a very affordable fish, but Americans eat more than 1 pound of tilapia per person per year.  That's a lot of fish!  3 ounces of Tilapia only contains 111 calories but delivers 22.8g of protein, and only 2.3g of fat, with 0g of carbohydrates!  It may not contain as many heart healthy Omega-3 fatty acids as Salmon would per se, but it still packs a lot more than beef, pork, chicken or turkey.

 

It is also high in Omega-6 fats largely due to its diet of corn. Omega-6 is a fatty acid your body can't make on its own and helps to keep your cholesterol down, also helping to prepare your muscle cells to respond to insulin, which is the hormone which is responsible for turning sugars into energy. This is great news for Diabetics. 

Some of the negativity was in relation to it being a ground feeder.  Well, Lobster is a ground feeder and people pay big bucks to eat that.  So are prawns, crab, etc.  All very popular.  Part of the reason it IS so great for your cholesterol is because it is a ground feeder.  

After all the research I did, I came to one conclusion and that was nothing really negative about it and I have to say I felt good about eating it, and I feel good at recommending it.  This is a healthy, delicious, nutritious and versatile fish.  End of.

   

Today I cooked it simply.  I ground some pistachios up to a fairly fine powder (in my coffee/spice grinder).  A few larger bits got through but hey all round they were pretty fine. You want it to stay fine and not grind into a butter if you know what I mean.  I mixed that with some lemon zest, seasoned the fish, coated it in the nut powder and simply fried it in a bit of olive oil, for a few minutes on each side.  The end result was fabulously delicious served with some lemon squeezed over top and sweet potato and new potato wedges.  Todd had to have his peas.  He loves peas with fish.  This was a winner of a fish dinner!

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Pistachio & Lemon Dusted Tilapia

Simple ingredients done well.  Perfectly cooked tilapia dusted with ground pistachios and lemon zest.  Delicious!

ingredients:

• 25g finely ground pistachio nuts
• 1 small lemon
• black pepper and fine sea salt to taste
• 1 TBS light olive oil
• 2 Tilapia fillets

instructions:

How to cook Pistachio & Lemon Dusted Tilapia

1. Mix the pistachio nuts and the finely grated zest of the lemon in a flat bowl.  Season the fish all over with salt and black pepper.  Dip the fish fillets into the pistachio nut mixture, pressing to help the nuts adhere to the surface of the fish.
2. Heat the oil in a medium sized non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add the fish, presentation side down, and brown for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden. Carefully flip the fish over and brown on the other side for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from the heat and cover tightly with a lid. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the fish is done and flakes easily  with a fork.  Squeeze the juice of half the lemon over top of the fillets and serve immediately.  Cut the remaining half of the lemon into wedges and serve at the table with the fish.

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Just look at how moist and flaky that fish is.  A beautiful white colour and fabulous flavour. I highly recommend!! 

Seafresh source their Tilapia fillets from Asian waters, and highly sustainable sources. Its flavour is a cross between cod and plaice, with a slight sweetness in the flesh as well.  We thought it was simply fabulous. Delicious, affordable, sustainable, healthy. You just can't go wrong!  This is a new favourite in our house!

If you would like to know  more about other Seafresh products please click here.  You really can't go wrong! 

A few things about Seafresh:

• Same Day dispatch on orders received before 1 PM.
• All packages are carefully hand packed.
• Free delivery on orders above £50, £8 on orders below that amount. 
• Responsibly and sustainably sourced.
• Air Blast Frozen at source within 4 hours of being caught.
• Wide variety to choose from. 

Do check them out on their website to find out more.
Follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.