Tilapia With a Creamy Shrimp & Crab White Wine Sauce

This is a really elegant dish, but really simple. An easy 1 pot sauce, simply pan seared tilapia and served over rice pilaf and a fresh vegetable for a side and you have a very quick easy dinner. I have served this many times for dinner parties and everyone loves it.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4 Fish Servings

Ingredients

• Fish

• 4  tilapia fillets
• 1  teaspoon butter
• 1  teaspoon olive oil
•  salt
•  pepper

• Sauce

• 1 (6 ounce) can  crabmeat (you can use the more expensive claw meat, but for this sauce I don't find it makes a difference)
• 1  cup shrimp, peeled, tails removed, and chopped
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 3⁄4 cup white wine
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice (buy 1 lemon and cut in half, use 1/2 for the zest and lemon juice and the other half for a garnish)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1  tablespoon fresh parsley
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh dill
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
•  salt
•  pepper

• Garnish

•  lemon slice (use the other half that wasn't used in the sauce)

• Rice (optional)

• 3 -4  cups rice, cooked (use any kind of rice you want)
• 3  scallions, fine chopped (white and green part)
• 1  teaspoon lemon zest (from the lemon we used for the sauce)

Directions

1. Optional Rice -- If you decide to serve this dish over the rice you should start the rice first as the fish and sauce don't take much time to make. Just follow package directions for whatever type of rice you are using. When the rice is finished cooking, toss in the lemon zest, fresh scallions and season with salt and pepper.
2. Sauce -- In a small sauce pan, add the flour and just a little white wine and whisk well to combine the two. Then add the remaining white wine and bring to medium heat. Then add in the salt, pepper and cream and bring to a medium boil, cook just a minute and then reduce to medium low and let it simmer. The cream will naturally thicken as it simmers on low heat. You will add the shrimp and crab later. You want the sauce to simmer at least 5-7 minutes. This is just enough time to cook the fish.
3. Fish -- Make sure your fish is NOT icy cold; it doesn't have to be room temperature, but just not right out of the refrigerator. Season each side of the fish well with salt and pepper. In a medium saute pan, I prefer non stick for this, add the butter and oil and bring to medium high heat. Saute the fish on each side until golden brown. Try not to move the fish once you put it in the pan until the first side is golden brown. Cooking time will vary depending on the type of fish and thickness. Tilapia takes just 2-3 minutes on the first side and even quicker on the second side.
4. Sauce -- When you start the fish is a good time to add the shrimp and crab to your sauce. Bring the sauce back up to medium heat and add the shrimp. Cook just 1-2 minutes and then stir in the crab. Don't stir too much, you don't want to break up the crab. Add the lemon juice, zest, parsley and dill and then turn off the heat -- the sauce is done.
5. Serve -- For each plate, add 3/4-1 cup of the rice, top with one of the fish fillets and top with the sauce. Garnish with a fresh lemon slice. ENJOY!