Thursday, June 21, 2007

Tilapia and Linguine


Linguine is absolutely my favorite dried pasta. It has the most wonderful toothsome bite and goes especially well with seafood. Tilapia is a great fish because it is so darn cheap. I bought 5 fillets and it only cost about $2.50. Really, this whole meal is quite inexpensive. I suppose that the whole thing cost me about 8 or 9 dollars for about 8 servings. Not bad. It is also quite simple to prepare.
Dice an onion and saute it in some olive oil until it's soft and translucent. Then add two 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes that you've crushed in between your fingers. I like to do tomatoes this way because it leaves them kind of rustic, plus it's just a good way to really feel the food. Just be careful, because they'll explode if you just squeeze them. You have to kind of puncture them first with your fingers.
After squishing all the tomatoes, add some salt, pepper, and sugar to taste, and some red pepper flakes if you like a little kick.
Depending on what brand you have, linguine takes around 10 minutes to cook, so now's the time to drop a pound of it into boiling, salted water. Time it and don't overcook it. (It's important to salt your pasta water always because if you add unsalted noodles to perfectly seasoned sauce, you'll end up with an undersalted finished product)
Bring it all up to a simmer then lay 5 or so Tilapia fillets into the sauce and kind of tuck them down in so they're covered.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so, then just when you're ready to serve it, add a handful of chopped parsley, and a small bottle of green olives that you've cut into quarters. As you stir it up, the tilapia should break into pieces.
Drain the pasta and dump it back into the pot. Ladle a few cups of the sauce onto the pasta and stir it around, then turn it into a serving bowl and pour the rest of the sauce over top.

6 comments:

Spiresfam said...

Sounds easy enough but is it fishy? I love fish just so long as it doesn't have a fishy taste and texture. How high maintenance am I?

lori said...

Can't wait to try this one!

El Blog said...

Tay,

This looks great! Having frequented your kitchen for years, I can say with confidence that I'd offer my services as a dishwasher for a place at this table :)

Taylor said...

Traci--This one might not be for you. There is no mistaking that this in fact fish. Some other day I'll post something a little more suitable for people who don't love fish but are willing to try.

Kate said...

If it's fishy I might have to pass...but it looks good just like everything you make! can't wait for the next meal or tip....

liz said...

Thank you for being forthright with Traci about the fishiness, which I keep thinking I need to start liking, but just can't seem to do it. I'll be waiting for the "don't love fish but willing to try" recipe.