Tilapia is a very tender, flaky white fish with a somewhat neutral flavor that adapts well to seasoning and sauces. Or, in this case, a tomato relish. I call it a “mélange” because of the various ingredients that I use.
The last time I made this, I had a jar of pickled bell
peppers that added the perfect zing to the relish. If pickled peppers aren’t
available, use diced green and/or red bell peppers instead. I would roast them
first and char off the skins.
Adding calamata olives adds saltiness to the combination of
sweet-sour pickles, the acidity of the tomatoes, and the sweetness of the
honey. And of course, the onions turn sweet in the butter.
Ingredients
- TOMATOES, 3 medium Maui or Vidalia, seeded and diced
- ONION, 1 large, chopped
- CELERY, 2 stalks, diced
- PICKLED PEPPERS, ¼ cup (more, or less, to your liking), chopped
- CALAMATA OLIVES, 10, seeded, chopped
- HONEY, 1 tablespoon
- GARLIC SALT, to taste
- BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste
- TILAPIA FILETS, 4 to 6
- SEASONED SALT, to taste
- OLIVE OIL, about 1 tablespoon each for the relish and the fish
- BUTTER, 3 tablespoons for the relish, 2 tablespoons for the fish
Directions
- First, make the relish. Heat the olive oil and melt the butter in a large pan.
- Cook the onions over medium heat until soft but not browned.
- Add the celery, tomatoes, pickled peppers and olives and heat through.
- Add the honey, garlic salt and black pepper.
- Heat through and set aside.
- Next, sauté the tilapia; season the filets with the seasoned salt.
- In a clean large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter until it’s melted.
- On medium heat, brown one side of the filet, then flip over and brown the other side.
- Serve the fish over a bed of tomato relish.
