Fish Pas

Oh, isn't it colorful! Spiced rubbed flounder topped with a tomato, cucumber and orange salsa, complemented by fresh green beans and rice pilaf! Oh, but behind this picture is a different story.

This recipe had been tried in its original form, but at the bottom of the recipe they suggest some variations, which I thought, why not? I decided to try the Old Bay Seasoning variation....well, I don't know what I was thinking, but I rubbed ever filet with the seasoning. We sat down to dinner only to discover that our mouths were quickly on fire. Before we knew it, we were scraping off as much of the Old Bay as possible and refilling our water glasses. So, as pretty as this looks, it didn't taste so good... Not a faux pas, but a fish pas!( The title came from my sister, Elizabeth)

Now for the recipe:

Spice-Rubbed Tilapia with Tomatillo, Black Bean & Mango Salad
by Leslie Pendleton

Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes surrounded by a papery husk. They’re common in Mexican cuisine, and their refreshing flavor is great either raw or cooked.

Serves four.

Ingredients
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 pound tomatillos, papery covering discarded, fruit rinsed and small diced

1 ripe medium mango, peeled, pitted, and small diced

1/2 cup small-diced red onion (from about a quarter of a large onion)

1/3 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Freshly ground black pepper

11/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Kosher salt

4 skinless tilapia fillets (about 4 ounces each)(You can substitute flounder)

How to make:
Put a heatproof serving platter on a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 200°F.
In a medium bowl, combine the beans, tomatillos, mango, red onion, lime juice, 1/3 cup of the vegetable oil, cilantro, and a few grinds of black pepper; toss gently. Let the salad sit at room temperature while you cook the fish.

Mix 1/4 teaspoon black pepper with the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt. Rub both sides of the tilapia fillets with the mixture. In a large (12-inch) nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Cook two of the tilapia fillets until lightly browned and the flesh is opaque and cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer the fish to the platter in the oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining two fillets. Transfer the fillets to the platter, and spoon half of the salad on top. Serve with the remaining salad on the side.

Variations:

For a different spice combination, try rubbing the fish with Old Bay Seasoning. And for other salad combinations, try chickpeas or red beans in place of the black beans, and red tomato or cucumber in place of the tomatillo.

This recipe came from Fine Cooking, May 2006.

You can also access the recipe @ taunton./finecooking/recipes/tilapia_tomatillo_black_bean_mango.aspx

Tips:

• Buy yourself a good non-stick pan. I use All-Clad. It needs to be large if you have more than 4 people in your family or else you will be frying for a long time!!
• Buy yourself a splatter screen; it makes frying a heck of lot cleaner and easier.
• When they say a warm oven, they mean 200 degrees or less
• Costco has individual, flash frozen tilapia, salmon, flouder, mahi-mahi, ahi tuna in packages for under $15/package. Some of the packages have up to 12 pieces.