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Monday, March 29, 2010

Cajun Tilapia with Polenta and Peppers

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As I continue to work through our stash of tilapia in the freezer, I have been trying to try lots of new seafood recipes. I really enjoyed this meal--the fish had quite a kick but it paired nicely with the vegetables and polenta. This was my first go at polenta and I was pleasantly surprised. It reminded me of cream of wheat, one of my childhood favorites. (Ha, I even ate the leftovers for breakfast the next morning with sauteed spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes-also delish!) I liked that the polenta was relatively neutral in flavor, as it helped to tone down the heat from the cajun spice on the tilapia. This only took about 30 or 40 minutes to make start to finish, and most of that was letting the polenta cook. Great weeknight recipe!

Cajun Tilapia with Polenta and Peppers

Ingredients:
For the cajun spice mix-
-3 tbsp paprika
-2 tbsp red pepper
-2 tbsp thyme
-2 tbsp oregano
-2 tbsp onion powder
-2 tbsp garlic powder
-1 tbsp salt
-1 tbsp black pepper
-1 tbsp sugar
*mix everything together and store in an airtight container

For the fish-
-1 lb tilapia fillets
-4 tbsp Cajun seasoning mix
-2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to coat fish
-sliced lemons

For the polenta-
-3 tbsp butter
-1/2 cup onions, finely diced
-2 1/2 cups water, divided
-1 1/2 cups chicken broth
-1 cup yellow cornmeal
-salt, to taste

For the peppers-
-1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
-1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
-1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
-1 tbsp olive oil
-salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:
For the fish-
1. Coat each fish fillet in olive oil. Coat with cajun seasoning.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering. Add fish fillets and cook for 3-4 minutes a side until opaque and flaky (internal temperature: 145F).

For the polenta-
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in 1 1/2 cups water and 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and bring mixture to a boil.
3. When the mixture is coming to a boil, mix together 1 cup water and 1 cup cornmeal. Gradually stir into the boiling water and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the cornmeal is thick and leaves the side of the pan when stirred (about 25 minutes). Add extra water or chicken broth if needed. Season with salt to taste.

For the peppers-
1. Heat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and heat until it shimmers. Add sliced peppers and mushrooms and cook 8-10 minutes, until vegetables have softened a bit. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This post is linked to Eat at Home.