Tilapia with Tomatoes & Spinach

Let’s talk about my kids for a moment: They’re nice people, don’t get me wrong, but I swear they act like children sometimes.

“I love tilapia.” “I don’t care for tilapia, thanks.” “I don’t care for fish at all.” “Mom, can you make fish sometime?”

So what’s a mother who has a sign up like this in her kitchen to do?:

Maybe I should explain: I am nobody’s short order cook. And my kids know it.

If I make dinner, you’re going to eat it until you are no longer hungry. You do not have to pretend that you love it, or even to like it. If it’s something new, you may express your opinion of it to me. And I will most likely not make it again unless both your siblings just think it’s the cat’s pajamas, and simply have to have it again.

If you find that you do not care for the meal, you will not:

1. Make faces while eating it.
2. Eat super slowly just to ensure that your distaste has registered with The Management.
3. Ask your siblings plaintively if they like it, in the mistaken belief that there will be safety in numbers.
4. Pretend to have overeaten at lunch, so you’re simply not hungry for dinner, ain’t that a shame.

Tilapia is one of those mild, white fishes that is just so, well, agreeable. It’s flaky and light, and it tends to win people over quite easily. There are even signs in many fish departments next to the tilapia that make hopeful, happy promises like, “Kids love it!” And it’s generally well-priced, and often goes on sale. Who knows why. I certainly don’t, but “sale” is not a word that I make a habit of second-guessing. And don’t even get me started on how many different ways there are to make it, not to mention how it tends to taste like whatever you choose to bake it with. It’s like the Tofu of the Sea (not to be confused with Chicken of the Sea – I know it’s all so confusing sometimes, isn’t it?).

Anyhoo — where was I? Oh, right. Tilapia. So we have gone on tilapia binges over the years. Tilapia benders, really. Then, not surprisingly, after a few weeks of such tilapia insanity there was often an understandable tilapia backlash. But it’s been a while, and we’re back in the saddle again, loving it. All of us. Try this version on for size. It’s hearty and satisfying, but it won’t weigh you down:

Tilapia with Tomatoes & Spinach
MAKES 4 SERVINGS

Ingredients
2 pounds tilapia fillets
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, drained & roughly chopped
1 pound (16 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and wrung completely dry
Juice of 1 lemon
6 ounces sour cream (low-fat is fine, nonfat is not)
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or another mild white cheese)

1. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the fish fillets on the baking sheet in a single layer, at least 1-inch apart. Sprinkle both sides of the fish with the salt, rubbing in the salt a bit. Set the baking sheet aside. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. In a medium size bowl, combine the tomatoes, spinach, lemon juice, sour cream, and cheeses. Mix to combine well and set the bowl aside.

3. Place the baking sheet, with just the plain salted fish, in the preheated oven and bake for 3 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and divide the tomato & spinach mixture evenly among the tops of the fish fillets. Return the fish to the oven and bake until the fish is opaque throughout, and the cheese in the topping has melted and is fragrant, about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the fish from the oven and serve immediately on top of cooked brown rice. A complete meal – protein, whole grain, vegetable. Done.

Warmly,

Nicole

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