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| Fish Market, Paris, June 2010 |
First, here again is the basic recipe adapted to less expensive but tasty tilapia. Note that tilapia is a farmed fish and thus reduces environmental pressures of wild species.
Tilapia Meunière
- 1-2 fillets of tilapia per person (boned and skinned)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 stick of butter
- Flour
- 1/2 lemon per fillet
- Fresh, chopped parsley (optional)
Put about a cup or so of flour on a plate. Dredge/pull each piece of fish through the flour. You want each piece to be nicely floured, but you are not seeking a thick batter as you would with fish and chips.
Melt your butter into the olive oil in a saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
Saute each fillet as so: 2 minutes on the first side. Then flip and cook on the second side for 4 minutes. Then flip back to the first side and cook for another 2 minutes.
Squeeze half a fresh lemon's juice onto the fillet.
Traditionally, you then sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve. If I don't have fresh parsley I skip this step. I've also dressed each fillet with some capers.
Serve hot.
NOTE: Cooking times may vary depending on your stove and the thickness of each fish fillet. When the fish begins to flake, it is done.
Options:
Amandine: Amandine is the French word for almonds. For this dish, add about a 1/4 cup of warm, toasted almonds at the end of cooking when you squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the sauteed fillets.
Béarnaise: This sauce is named for Bearn, the birthplace of King Henry IV of France. Cook a cup of white wine with minced onions, tarragon, and black pepper. Once the onions are well done and the wine has reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2, strain the liquid from the spices and onions. Mix the flavored wine mixture into a Hollandaise sauce and serve. This sauce is traditionally used more for beef, but the lemony Hollandaise ingredient lends itself as a sauce for Tilapia Meunière.
Hollandaise: Hollandaise in French means Dutch style (Holland). This sensuous and lemony cream sauce makes a nice accompaniment to the fish. If you use a Hollandaise sauce, skip the step of squeezing lemon juice on the fillets. The lemon in the sauce pairs well with the Tilapia Meunière.
Provençale: Named for France's region of Provence bordering the Mediterranean, this invention of mine plays again on the lemon taste traditional to a meunière dish. Provence's cuisine is famous for black olives, capers, tomatoes, and lemons. I find black olives and garlic overpower the fish dish. Instead, make a traditional Tilapia Meunière complete with the lemon juice. Then add some warm diced tomatoes and capers.
Options:
Amandine: Amandine is the French word for almonds. For this dish, add about a 1/4 cup of warm, toasted almonds at the end of cooking when you squeeze fresh lemon juice onto the sauteed fillets.
Béarnaise: This sauce is named for Bearn, the birthplace of King Henry IV of France. Cook a cup of white wine with minced onions, tarragon, and black pepper. Once the onions are well done and the wine has reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2, strain the liquid from the spices and onions. Mix the flavored wine mixture into a Hollandaise sauce and serve. This sauce is traditionally used more for beef, but the lemony Hollandaise ingredient lends itself as a sauce for Tilapia Meunière.
Hollandaise: Hollandaise in French means Dutch style (Holland). This sensuous and lemony cream sauce makes a nice accompaniment to the fish. If you use a Hollandaise sauce, skip the step of squeezing lemon juice on the fillets. The lemon in the sauce pairs well with the Tilapia Meunière.
Provençale: Named for France's region of Provence bordering the Mediterranean, this invention of mine plays again on the lemon taste traditional to a meunière dish. Provence's cuisine is famous for black olives, capers, tomatoes, and lemons. I find black olives and garlic overpower the fish dish. Instead, make a traditional Tilapia Meunière complete with the lemon juice. Then add some warm diced tomatoes and capers.
DIETS:
Diabetic: yes
Gluten Free: no
Mediterranean: yes
Nightshade Family Free: yes* (not the Provençale which includes tomatoes)
Paleo: no (contains flour and dairy)
SugarBusters: yes* (substitute whole wheat flour instead of white flour)
Sugar Free: yes* (substitute whole wheat flour instead of white flour)
Vegan: no
Vegetarian: no
Wheat Free: no
200 Calories or Under: no
Notice: Be sure to check with your doctor and nutritionist about the safety of any eating plan for you. Also, check ingredients as different brands and products may have different ingredients or have changed them since this post. Some calories are estimates based on packaging.
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