Even though we are still in the middle of winter, I have been craving bright, beautiful food to change up all the soups and stews. This smoky, crunchy and light tilapia came together about a year ago during the summer. I topped the fish with this incredibly fresh, colorful and simple avocado and mango relish with pops of flavor from the pomegranate seeds. Together, the meal is sweet, smoky and makes you feel like spring is around the corner.
I’m beyond excited to share that I’ll be making this recipe on Tastemade’s Nourish Facebook page tomorrow (Friday, February 10th) at 2:00 pm EST. If you haven’t watched a Facebook Live before, they are so cool! You can comment, like, love and laugh with me as I cook in the kitchen. The live stream will feel like you’re right in the kitchen. Pull it up at your desk at work (dual monitors are the best!) or you can even watch it later because it records and saves to their page. Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing it on social media, too!
If you are reading this post after the Facebook Live, welcome to Gourmet Gab! I’m so happy to have you here and would love to be a source for other healthy, simple recipes. As you could see from the video, I love to have fun in the kitchen and am so happy we could virtually “hang out” together.
Speaking of hanging out, if you are hanging out with girlfriends for Galentine’s Day or a lucky date on Tuesday, this tilapia would be an impressive date night dinner. It’s easy enough for first-timers – just watch the toasting of the panko closely so it doesn’t burn – and yet it also looks really fancy. The pomegranate seeds in the relish have the colors of Valentine’s Day and there’s only a little bit of garlic, so ahem ahem…you’re welcome!
Instead of using breadcrumbs on the fish, I used panko to add texture and crunch to the tilapia. Panko is a Japanese style breadcrumb that is known for being extra crispy and light. You can find panko in the Asian food section of your grocery store or at Trader Joe’s I find it by the rice and grains. Panko has virtually zero flavor when you buy it, so that’s why the paprika, chili powder and garlic work so well with it.
- Tilapia
- 2 filets of tilapia
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup panko (Japanese style breadcrumbs)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Avocado Relish
- ½ of an avocado, diced
- ½ of a mango, diced
- ¼ cup pomegranate seeds
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon agave
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- ½ lime
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Place panko crumbs on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, pat each tilapia filet with a paper towel to dry and whisk egg in a large, shallow bowl. Make sure egg is well mixed to create a "glue" for the panko on the fish.
- Once panko is golden brown, remove from oven. On a plate mix panko with chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Dip one piece of tilapia into egg, then into panko mixture. Press firmly to adhere panko to fish on each side. Repeat with second piece.
- Place tilapia onto baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.
- While fish is baking, prepare relish.
- In a small bowl mix vinaigrette: stir together olive oil, red wine vinegar, agave, salt and pepper.
- Add in avocado, mango, pomegranate seeds and cilantro. Mix gently.
- Remove tilapia from oven once fish is opaque, flaky and tender.
- Plate tilapia and spoon half of the relish onto each filet. Squeeze with fresh lime juice and garnish with any extra cilantro.
Be sure to mark your calendars and tell your friends to visit Nourish by Tastemade’s Facebook page tomorrow at 2:00 pm EST! Comment, give me some thumbs ups or hearts and let me know what you think as I cook this baked pinko-crusted tilapia with avocado pomegranate relish.
Love food. Love self. Love life.
Gabriela is all about (mostly) healthy and always easy recipes that work for an on-the-go lifestyle. You can usually find her talking to a camera about what's she's cooking and eating.
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