Costa Rican Tilapia

SouthernBell2627's Note:

This recipe is from www.tastycooking.com. Authentic Costa Rican dish!

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro or 4 tablespoons parsley, divided
• 4 teaspoons minced garlic, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 6 (5 ounce) tilapia fillets
• 3/4 cup long-grain rice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 oranges, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes, un-drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans or 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

1. For the tilapia marinade, combine lime juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons cilantro, 1 teaspoon garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar in a shallow dish.
2. Add tilapia and marinate 15 minutes, turning once.
3. To prepare the bean and rice mixture, cook the rice according to package and keep warm while the tilapia is marinating.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large, skillet or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add remaining garlic and onions; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring. Add 2 tablespoons
5. cilantro, oranges, tomatoes, beans, oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne.
6. Cook, uncovered, until hot, 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Transfer hot rice to a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Spoon the bean mixture on top of rice and gently blend. Slightly overlap tilapia fillets on top and scrape marinade over fillets.
8. Bake 16 to 20 minutes.

Reviews

[tawni14094]

This meal is EXCELLENT -- my hubby and I both immediately said "This is a keeper!" Spices are perfect -- I also used mandarin oranges, but otherwise kept the recipe pretty much as written. A Must Try !!

[melissulactosetolerant]

A colorful and flavorful meal! The only thing I changed was the number of fish fillets used and I may have thrown in a little more cilantro because I'm such a big fan of it. Next time I might throw a little more cayenne in it or just chop up a fresh hot pepper for a little more kick. Also, if you use fresh oranges, don't forget to get rid of as much of the pith (the white stuff between the peel and the fruit) as possible to avoid a bitter taste.

[SarasotaCook]

I made this today for a lady I cook for. She wanted a black bean and fish recipe and didn't have access to mine so I thought I would try something new. Cilantro is a must for this. 15 minutes is not enough marinade for me. Tilapia I found was too thin and the cooking time too long. My rice did not cook through all the way and I would cut down on the tomatoes for my liking. Black beans definitely and more cayenne. It overall has great flavor, but the fish to me was too overdone. It may be just me and my tastes. The orange I didn't like in the dish either I would leave that out. I'm sorry ... I eat tons of fish and maybe that is why I am more critical. It is a good recipe, but for my tastes I would have to change a few things.