Pan Fried Tilapia With Lime Basil Beurre Blanc on a Bed of Wilt

Submitted by MarieRynr

"This is an excellent company entree and as good as any you will find in any first class restaurant. Why go out when you can eat this good at home, for half the price. Another entry in the RSC Winter 2005 contest."

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 18
• Serves: 2

ingredients

• 9 1⁄2 ounces skinless tilapia fillets, approx
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄8 teaspoon sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon unsalted butter

• For the Sauce

• 1⁄2 cup lime juice
• 1 1⁄2 cups white wine
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon cream
• 6 ounces unsalted butter
• 4 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned

• For the Spinach

• fresh spinach, 1 bag, washed, stemmed and patted dry
• 1 garlic clove, peeled
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• salt
• 4 ounces unsalted butter

directions

1. For the sauce; combine the lime juice, wine, garlic and shallots in a wide pan, bring to a boil and reduce to 1/4 the volume.
2. Pour into a bowl and stir in the cream.
3. Whisk in the butter, 1 TBS at a time, until thoroughly combined.
4. Stir in the fresh basil and hold the sauce in a warm place until ready to serve.
5. For the spinach, slice the garlic into thin slivers.
6. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat for 30 seconds.
7. Add the butter and, when half of it has melted, add the garlic.
8. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 45 seconds or until the garlic is tender and fragrant.
9. Add the spinach leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
10. Use tongs or a spatula to stir the spinach so it cooks evenly.
11. Remove from heat when all spinach leaves have wilted, setting aside to keep warm while you cook the fish.
12. Divide the fillets into 4 pieces.
13. Sprinkle lightly with the salt, sugar, pepper and paprika.
14. Place a large non-stick skillet over high heat.
15. When hot add the oil and butter.
16. When the butter begins to melt, swirl to coat the pan.
17. Place the fish in the pan and cook for 5 minutes; turning gently until fish flakes easily, do not over cook.
18. To serve, place the spinach in an attractive mound on a heated plate, top with the fish fillets and spoon sauce over.
19. Serve at once!

Reviews

[Cristiank]

This is an amazing recipe. It is easy to make, although a little time consuming, but totally worth it. I made it for my girlfriend for the first time and we both were in heaven. She asked if it was wrong to want to lick the plate clean. I said no because I was going to do that when she wasn't looking.

 

[spatchcock]

Very good. I served this with a side of roasted red potatoes with olive oil and kosher salt. We really liked the flavor of the tilapia--I used hungarian paprika from Penzey's, which really has flavor, unlike many other varieties of paprika found in grocery stores which taste like dust. The layering of flavors in this recipe was very well done. Thank you for posting this.

 

[nsomniak6]

I halved the butter, had only crappy cooking wine, and not so fresh garlic and it was still very tasty! I bet it's really good with better ingredients.

 

[Rita1652]

Over 2 1/2 sticks of butter this is no diet food here. And 2 teaspoons olive oil! Yes, this is as good as you can get out but I still like to have someone cook a meal like this for me every now and then. I really don `t cook with that much butter. And expect to have it when I eat out. This is not a daily meal. But it `s not like it `s all being use on one plate. It is enough sauce for 4-6 servings. If not more. So this sauce can be cut down. I did enjoy this very much. As for the spinach I did use 1 tablespoon olive oil in place of the butter. Did add 2 extra cloves of garlic to the spinach. I sure do feel guilt after eating this and even more now that I checked out the Nutrition Facts on the recipe. This is a once in a while treat. This would be 6 stars if not for that.

 

[Stinkerbell]

I had a special dinner to cook this past weekend for someone special and thought I would give this a try and we were both pleasantly pleased with the results. You're right, it's just as good as any dish you would find in a first class restaurant. I recommend this to anyone wanting to make an impression.