Tilapia.

I know.

Isn't that a fish?  

Yes, I'm posting another fish recipe. I can hardly believe it myself. When I mentioned before how much cooking fish scares me, I got some great suggestions in the comments that made me brave enough to try it again. For one, I found this site that helps take some of the mystery out of buying fish. They list the sources and which ones are best, which ones to avoid, and have a nifty app that you can put on your phone so it's with you in the grocery store when you're looking at the many kinds of fish and trying to remember if it was the farmed or the wild _________ from __________ that was supposed to be more sustainable and better for you. 

Another thing that helped was the suggestion to bake the fish. Umm, why hadn't I ever tried that? Probably because I always avoided fish like the plague. I'm glad I tried it, though, because it is so easy. And the fish turns out so moist and delicious. Tilapia is a great fish to try if you are hesitant about eating fish because it has a mild flavor. This might be my 11 month old's favorite meal ever, and since she can eat the whole thing as finger food it might be mine, too. This recipe is about as easy as it comes for a weeknight dinner. Grate some lemon peel, juice a lemon, chop some tomatoes and oregano and you're practically done. It is one of those simple meals that is easy to prepare on a weeknight, and it tastes so fresh and light. Lemon is one fish's best friends as far as flavor goes, and the fresh oregano is delicious with it. The tomatoes get sweet from roasting and the orzo soaks up the pan juices from cooking. Fast, easy, and tasty. Fish might be my new BFF.

Baked Greek Tilapia

By HeatOvenTo350 Published 05/07/2013

Ingredients

• 2 lemons
• 1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
• 8 ounces orzo

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grate 1/2 teaspoon of zest from one of the lemons and squeeze both of them for juice. (Should have about 1/4 cup of lemon juice.) Note: This a fairly lemony dish. If you are on the fence about lemon, halve the amount of zest.
2. Arrange tilapia in a 9x13 pan (if it is too crowded, use two 9x13 pans instead.)
3. In a small bowl, stir together oregano, lemon peel and lemon juice. Sprinkle evenly over fillets. Season fillets with 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. (I find that if I season the fillets before sprinkling with the lemon juice mixture that the salt gets washed off and I get some bland spots.)
4. Add tomatoes to the dish, scattering them evenly throughout, then cover the dish with foil. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until tilapia is opaque and tender. (If the tilapia is a little crowded in the pan, it will take an extra 5-10 minutes to bake.)
5. While tilapia is cooking, bring water to a boil in a large saucepan and cook orzo according to package directions. Drain well.
6. Serve baked tilapia over orzo, topping with tomatoes and juices from the baking dish.

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 5 min
Cook time: 18 min

Recipe Source: Adapted slightly from Good Housekeeping

Posted in: Main Dish