Friday, October 7, 2011

Tilapia in Basil & fennel

 Today my morning yoga  routine was a let down.The abductor muscle is acting up again and the groin hurts every time I try to get into the asanas without keeping my knees soft. I am still struggling with bhujapidasana and it is funny because the harder I try the harder I fall on my bum...lol BUT I keep falling and keep trying.Guruji says:" practice & it will come to you" I am already looking forward to tomorrow's practice , everyday the body tells you how it feels and it is wonderful to listen to it and pay heed to what are its limitations and then gradually with time and practice free the body of its limitations.

Okay so we have some good weather here on the east coast for this weekend after the short onset of cold temperatures,  we are looking forward to a warmer weekend starting today.The leaves have started to fall  off on this tree which is on my deck and  I was reading  trees can be tricked into  loosing leaves by extreme environmental conditions it is sad because I see fallen leaves everywhere and no change in the color so far,I was told  the fall colors this year will be delayed,I only hope they are still as pretty as they always have been in the past and all the storms and adverse weather conditions have hopefully not destroyed that phenomena.

So to celebrate the warm temperatures today and to get in the weekend mood let us all enjoy this fish .This is the very first time I have cooked with fennel.It has a nice licorice y taste and this sweetness when combined with garlic, tomatoes,celery and basil gives a very nice sweet and herby taste with a garlicky punch. I salted the fish with some kosher salt and sprinkled some dried basil and parsley and left it for 20 minutes while I prepared the sauce.You can also get out on the deck and fire your grills today and grill this fish or bake it .Do what your heart says.....

Here goes the recipe and the ingredients you will need:


Tilapia Fish: 2 pounds
Black pepper: crushed a pinch
Salt: to your taste
Dried basil:1/4 tsp
Olive oil: 1 tbsp to rub all over the fish along with the salt and dried basil


Note: You can mix oil ,salt ,pepper and basil in a small bowl and use your hands to rub this on the fish.


Sauce:
Celery: 2 stems/stalks or ribs diced 
Tomato: 2 no's diced into small pieces
Garlic: 3 cloves chopped fine
Basil fresh: chopped 1 tbsp
Parsely: dried 1/4 tsp
fennel Bulb: 1 about 10-12 ounces ( discard the rough outer leaves)
halved bulb thinly sliced
Olive oil: 1 tbsp




Method:


1. take the fish and rub salt,oil and black pepper all over on both sides and then sprinkle dried basil.
2. leave it for 20 minutes or more if time permits
3: heat the oven at 350 d Fahrenheit and bake on the lowest rack in a baking tray (you can line the baking tray with the aluminium foil)
4. If grilling/broiling heat the oven at 400 d Fahrenheit (gas oven) and grill for roughly 12-15 minutes or till the fish is flaky and turned completely white on the inside.


Sauce method:
1. Take a pan and heat 1tbsp oil
2. add the chopped garlic and wait till it turns brown on the edges( roughly 1 minute)
3. Now add the diced tomatoes along with salt
4. Cook the tomatoes for 4-5 minutes and mash them with the back of the spoon
5. Add chopped or diced celery and thinly sliced fennel.
6. add the chopped basil now and also add the dried parsley at this stage.
7. If you like your veggies with a little crunch cook this for further 3-4 minutes without covering the pan. If you want the celery and fennel to be soft ,cover the pan .


Serving:


Take the serving plate and dish out two spoonfuls of the sauce on the plate and neatly arrange the grilled fish on the plate with some spring leaves.Bon appetit !!!




18 comments:

  1. tilapia preparation is simply awesome...fell like digging into it...

    yum yum

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  2. the fish looks soft and flaky, yum. get well soon and enjoy ur wknd.

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  3. Soft and flavorful,nice recipe dear..will surely give this a try..yum

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  4. sorry about the muscle tht's acting up- but ur strebgth & resolve to keep going on is wow and hey u asked me whether the paneer dish was a spur of the moment dish by my hubby- yes it was; he loves to cook and once in a while shows off his prowess ! keep in touch & cheers

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  5. Fish looks so soft and delicious.. Apt for a weekday dinner..)
    Reva

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  6. You are embarking to a healthier cooking. This looks fabulous so does your click dear....

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  7. This looks like quite a feast Kavita!!! And good luck with the yoga..Yes practice is needed..Saying it from experience..I gave up on asanas a long time back!! Your post reminds me to try them again :)
    Prathima Rao
    Prats Corner

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  8. wow perfectly done !! fish looks so soft and wonderful !!

    Ongoing Event - CC-What's For Friday Dinner??

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  9. lovely delicious tempting tilapia......just drooling!!
    Kavitha,Thanx for the follow dear..How do I follow your space dear?I don't find the follower widget?Pls let me know..

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  10. Wat a flavourful dish, good luck with yoga, even am planning to go for..

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  11. Wow, if I ate fish this would be the recipe! I've missed you a lot Kavita. Hope your trip to India was wonderful. The yoga sounds great, I've always wanted to learn to do it properly, not the LA fitness version :)

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  12. Hey Kavita, good to see you back and rocking on my return! :) I hope I didn't miss too much. I have had a similar experience with yoga classes and unfortunately I had to quit.. but I'm so happy to see you going strong. The fish looks scrumptious!

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  13. My yoga class was going on full swing until 3 weeks back when friends came for a 2 week stay! i dont think i will restart it again..lazy bum! ah i can see you shifted to new blogger luk! I love fennel..this recipe is a keeper

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  14. Kavita-Just don't overdiew your yoga exercises. Muscle pain can be a bad thing. I, myself suffer with a pinched nerve on my right arm, muscle pain..no fun!
    Your tilapia is so scrumptious, moist, and absolutely delicious. Love the rub, and especially the caramelized onions:DDD
    Beautiful presentation, and clicks!
    Much love, and hugs!

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  15. A very novel recipe. love what went into the making.

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  16. Looks so yummy :)

    Pavithra
    www.dishesfrommykitchen.com

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  17. this looks so good kavita!!

    http://gharkhana.blogspot.com/

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