Braised Tilapia with Leeks and Tomatoes

I am simply pathetic. NaBloPoMoWha? Sorry, folks, the ball has been royally dropped. I'd tell you all my very good excuses for why, but who really cares? I'm just going to pick up and keep going as if nothing happened. Won't you play along?

After all, I have to tell you about how I've managed to make tilapia tasty - a feat many of you, no doubt, will be perched on the edge of your seats to hear about. Oh, ha ha. I was not, I know, alone in my initial dislike of tilapia, Ben's favorite fish, when I first met the man and started cooking for him. Dislike's a bit strong of a word, but I guess I just found it so boring - mild, white and cheap. Snooze. Wouldn't you rather be eating cardboard?

But Ben gently rebuffed my attempts to serve something other than tilapia and then I read Bottomfeeder and realized that my choice of fish to eat (if I didn't want to go broke) was basically reduced to canned sardines, farmed oysters and American tilapia. Who knew Ben's favorite fish would turn out to be sustainable and responsible eating? I decided to find a way to like it.

Before I came along, Ben would bread his fish and pan-fry it, so I followed suit for a while, adding cayenne and salt to the breadcrumbs, but almost fell asleep at dinner. Give me a bowl of cereal instead!, I'd beg. I ate a gorgeous piece of broiled tilapia at a Greek restaurant, flecked with oregano and brightened with lemon, so I turned to my broiler at home for a while before losing interest in that, too. Then two weeks ago, in a fit of genius, I figured out the preparation I'd been looking for and man, is it good, if I do say so myself.

Okay, so here's how it happens, if you're cooking for two people: Buy two fillets of tilapia, a very big leek, or two small ones, a bunch of cherry tomatoes (you'll use cup or two), and a bottle of dry white wine (I like Muscadet - it's bone-dry, which is how I like my white wine - but I'm sure you have your own favorite). Go home, slice your leek in half lengthwise and rinse out the dirt as best you can. Then cut the leek halves into thin half-moons, not just the white part of the leek, but the pale green, too. Discard the tough, dark parts.

Heat a spoonful or two of olive oil in a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat and throw in the leeks. Cook, stirring, for about 7 minutes or until the leeks have softened. Don't let them brown. Add a sprinkle of salt and some pepper and stir well. In the meantime, wash and half the cherry tomatoes. Add the tomatoes to the leeks and stir to combine. Cook for a few minutes, then add a good glug of white wine. Cover the pan and turn the heat down somewhat, then let the leeks and tomatoes cook for about 10 minutes. Check the pan and stir every once in a while to make sure that the vegetables aren't burning or sticking to the pan. The tomatoes should soften and collapse. Slip the fish fillets into the pan, making room among the vegetables. Spoon some of the tomatoes and leeks over the fish, cover again and cook for about 7 minutes, until the tilapia is flaky and white but still moist.

Serve this with a glass of that nice Muscadet and plain boiled rice to soak up the leeky-sweet sauce. You will find yourself simply gobbling it up. Wouldn't you know that I actually look forward to tilapia now? Insane, what love will have you do.

Comments

[Susy]

I'm a huge tilapia fan, it's quick & easy. I especially like mine with coconut red chili sauce. I'll be trying this recipe next though, looks fantastic!

[Traci]

So happy to see this recipe! You are an inspiration!

[Christina]

This is very funny, because my husband dislikes most fish, except tilapia. I've tried to figure out non-boring ways to cook it as well, and was even thinking of buying some tonight as I feel we haven't been eating enough fish lately. Thanks for the recipe, as I am definitely going to try this!

[Anne]

Mmmmm...leeky sweet. Sounds lovely. And looks quite nice too. Kudos for photographing a pretty Tilapia!

[Susan]

We used to eat tilapia frequently until this past summer when I read a number of articles about the high level of Omega-6 and the inflammatory properties of the fish. Now I have put tilapia "on hold" until I know more. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/890393/tilapia_industry_digesting_worse_than.html?cat=5

[Rose-Anne]

This post is utterly charming! I love your writing and your devil-may-care attitude toward NaBloPoMo. I will confess, though, that it's been fun to check back here frequently to find new posts :-)

[Gemma]

I just had to google tilapia. It's one of those fish I have heard of but never even seen, I don't think it is very common in the UK but apparently that might change as so many of our favourites become species to avoid. I have almost given up on NaBloPoMo a few times but sticking to it so far, although I have to admit some days it is just waffle.

[Giff]

blogging every day is nuts! good-on-ya for the ambition though :) Not that I don't enjoy more Wednesday Chef posts!

[Ellen]

My favorites are fishy fishes like mackerel...but the only fish that I buy anymore is tilapia. (I mostly cook vegetarian, for environmental reasons...) So for me tilapia is exciting because--well--it's fish...

I'll be extra-excited to try your recipe!

[Deborah]

I'm not a big fan of tilapia but mostly for me it's a medicinal food. Whenever anyone is recovering from an operation or illness someone inevitably mentions having tilapia soup at my house. I had to have a bowl everyday after spraining my ankle very badly. I'm actually tempted to try this recipe! Thanks!

[rachel]

Glad you picked up the bloggin ball again, this nablopowhateverthing is a heavy one, bowling balls come to mind.
I have never heard of tilapia - it sounds a bit like a nasty disease - BUT I like the sound of this recipe ALOT.

[eldivenlerim]

nice blog;) this looks so yummy with vegetable.....

[Jeanne]

Re. NaBloPoMo - oh well, there's always next year :) So far I'm still on track but I have to admit it's a struggle... Not finding material, just findig time. Let's just say I'm not really sleeping!! Only 12 more days to go woo hoo!

Re. tilapia - I posted a recipe for whole baked tilapia as one of my NaBloPoMo posts this month too! I like them for their size as it's easy to cook one per person (as opposed to, say, salmon!) and their neutral flavour means you can be quite adventurous with accompaniments. Your recipe looks great!

[Hazel]

Is tilapia an ok fish to eat in the UK? Does anyone know where European stocks come from? Lovely looking recipe, now to find the damn fish...

[Luisa]

Gemma and Hazel - tilapia in the UK comes mainly from Asia, which according to the Monterey Bay Acquarium's set of guidelines is not the best place for farmed tilapia because "pollution and weak management" are common in those stocks. If you can find tilapia from the US or from South America, you're in good shape.

[Lisa]

Ooh...yum. Muscadet is my favorite too. Even in winter!

[amy]

we're totally trying this.

I usually bake mine with lots of onions and garlic. its good but not....amazing.

since my kids (10 months old) like fish, we'll try this next!

thanks

[Leisureguy]

Sounds good, but you might want to choose a fish other than tilapia.

See this post:
http://tinyurl.com/6g3q4k

And also this post: http://tinyurl.com/5ljkgq.

[Luisa]

Oh nooooooooooooooooooooo

[Jill, The Veggie Queen]

Although I don't eat fish, do eat leeks often. Happy to see that you use the light green part too. But I would suggest that people save the dark green part to make into stock instead of throwing it away. Maybe that's what you meant.
This sounds yummy even to a non-fish eater, especially with that glass of wine.

[Sylvie, Rappahannock Cook & Kitchen Gardener]

Of course, we'll play along dear Luisa! Your posts are always such a delight. Hope all is well and remember... homemade hot sauce can also make that tilapia a lot livelier.

Sylvie

[emily]

I made this tonight and it was amazing!

[Marie]

I used to make a similar dish -- but instead of leeks, I used capers or diced black olive. Makes for a nice salty taste, and tomatoes with capers or olives is one of my favorite combos!

[James Walsh]

This looks very appetizing as does everything on your blog. I will try this. I do something vaguely familiar although it is pan fried in a very hot pan and uses lemons that caramelise in the pan giving it a tang. I noticed your comment about getting the dirt out of the leek as best you can. Do you know that if you slice the leek in half without cutting off the end bit and blanch it for a few seconds it becomes very managable and you can and can definitely get all the dirt out.

[Christina]

Just thought I'd let you know that I made this recipe last night, and it was delicious. My husband and I really enjoyed it; he cleared his entire plate in minutes! Thanks for sharing it.

[Michelle]

Luisa: Your blog is always a pleasure to read. A belated congratulations on your engagement. A particularly fast and easy variation on your tilapia is: bake 2 salted and peppered filets at 450 with a half glass of white wine, plenty of cherry tomatoes (so you don't have to fight over them), good black olives (oil cured are nice), and some thyme sprigs. Optional: a few tablespoons of olive oil, bits of butter or some oiled or buttered fine bread crumbs to top the fish. Done in 7-9 minutes. Fast, easy, delicious. I think this was a recipe in one of the big food magazines initially, but can't cite it, it is not in any of their archives on line.

[klp]

We tried this on Saturday night, only I served it over black rice. (My husband liked the nuttiness of the black rice, but I think white would be better.) So easy, and super tasty. The tomatoes were the best part.

Thanks!

[Connie]

Luisa,
I've been reading your blog for months now and just love it. I made this tonight for dinner and it was wonderful - quick, healthy, simple and delicious. We served with whole grain pilaf and it was a nice combo. Thank you so much for this recipe - it came at the perfect time for our attempt at post-Thanksgiving healthy eating.