Tilapia Veracruz

Grab your big ol' iron skillet, just like Grandma used to use. This recipe is part of our Family Skillet Meals that begins on page 57 of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook. We first tasted this dish at a Mexican restaurant in Dallas just last year, when we were speaking at a conference. We both ordered it the first night of the weekend conference and loved it so much we went back to the same restaurant the second night just so we could eat it again. We came home, played with the ingredients, and now get to enjoy it at home whenever we like.

Cooking Method: Stove Top

Courses: Dinner, Lunch

Servings: 6

Dietary: Dairy-Free

Description

Grab your big ol' iron skillet, just like Grandma used to use. This recipe is part of our Family Skillet Meals that begins on page 57 of the Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook. We first tasted this dish at a Mexican restaurant in Dallas just last year, when we were speaking at a conference. We both ordered it the first night of the weekend conference and loved it so much we went back to the same restaurant the second night just so we could eat it again. We came home, played with the ingredients, and now get to enjoy it at home whenever we like.

Ingredients

2 lbs tilapia (thawed fillets)
3/4 tsp TH Mineral Salt (can use up to 1 tsp)
black pepper (sprinkle over fish)
chili powder (sprinkle over fish)
4 tsp butter
1 large onion (diced, or 1 1/2 cups Seasoning Blend: onions, celery, pepper)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
2 poblano chilies (seeded and diced; can use jalapeno if you like heat)
5 large tomatoes (2 diced, and 3 left whole)
15 olives (sliced, green olives)
2 limes (juice of 2 limes)
cilantro (fresh, chopped)

Instructions

1
Pat the tilapia fillets dry and lightly sprinkle the salt, pepper, and chili powder over them.
2
Melt 2 teaspoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add half the tilapia (you may have to cut some of the fillets smaller to fit them in the pan). Brown the fillets for 2 minutes on each side (they do not have to be cooked through and it doesn’t matter if they break apart some- what). Remove from the pan and keep warm.
3
Melt the remaining 2 teaspoons butter in the skillet and repeat with the remaining fish. Remove and keep with first batch of fillets.
4
Put the onion, garlic, and poblanos in the skillet and sauté for a few minutes, tossing often.
5
Put the 3 whole tomatoes in the blender and puree. Once blended, add the tomato puree to the skillet along with the 3⁄4 to 1 teaspoon salt and more pepper to taste. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes.
6
Add the fish back to the skillet and allow to heat through and become fully cooked. You can break the pieces of fish up smaller, if desired.
7
Turn off the heat and add the diced tomatoes, olives, lime juice, and cilantro (if using).

Note

Helpful information...

It is often difficult to find wild-caught tilapia, and while most farm-raised fish is not optimal, according to Dr. Perricone, author of Ageless Skin, Ageless Mind farm-raised tilapia is a safe and healthy fish option. We buy frozen tilapia fillets from Aldi, as they are much more affordable for big families like ours. Put frozen tilapia fillets in the fridge in the morning, and they should be thawed out by late afternoon. If you forget to to do that, keep them in their plastic packet wraps and thaw in a big pot of luke warm water for a couple hours.

Read it online: https://trimhealthymama.com/recipe/tilapia-veracruz/