Tilapia in Tamarind Sauce
Tilapia fillets rubbed with a spiced tamarind paste and pan-fried until flaky, finished with a squeeze of lemon. Serves 4. Cook's note: this dish can also be broiled — place the fish and all the marinade in a greased broiler pan about 7 inches from the broiler source and cook until tender and flaky, about 5 minutes on each side.
⏱️ Prep: 15 min🍳 Cook: 6 min
Ingredients
| 1 pound | 455 g | tilapia fillets |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | tamarind paste |
| ¼ cup | 60 ml | hot water |
| 1 pcs | fresh ginger, grated (1/2 inch piece) | |
| 2 cloves | garlic, pressed | |
| 1 pinch | salt | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | coarsely ground black pepper |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | ground coriander |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | ground turmeric |
| ½ tsp | 2.5 ml | ground cumin |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | vegetable oil |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | lemon juice |
Instructions
- Rinse the tilapia fillets and dry with paper towels. Dissolve the tamarind paste in the hot water in a bowl; stir in the ginger, garlic, salt, black pepper, coriander, turmeric and cumin to make a paste.
- Rub the paste over the fish and let stand 15 minutes to absorb the flavors (or longer in the refrigerator if desired).
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the fish with the tamarind paste in the hot oil until the flesh is opaque and flaky, about 4 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the second side.
- Drizzle with lemon juice and serve.