So it came to pass that I found tilapia on sale, and as much as I enjoy simply baking it with lemon and dill, it was time to experiment. I remembered having a Florentine type dish at a restaurant once, so decided I was going to make it from scratch. Personally, I think I did a bang up job on it; with simple ingredients and prep work to boot. Now I wonder, tilapia is such a mild flavored fish; how would this recipe work with salmon?
Tilapia
Florentine
(Spinach Stuffed
Tilapia)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. diced red bell
pepper
6 tsp. olive oil 4 oz. fresh baby spinach
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. Italian herbal mix
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 (6 oz. each) tilapia fillets
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375F;
spray 1 quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small skillet,
medium-high heat, sauté red bell pepper in two teaspoons of olive oil until
softened; add in spinach, drizzle two teaspoons oil over leaves and cook until
wilted.
In a medium bowl,
thoroughly combine egg, garlic, herbal mix, cheeses; gently fold in spinach
mixture. Cut slit into tilapia
lengthwise (not all the way through); with tip of knife cut halfway into both
sides of the fish to create a pocket.
Stuff half the mixture into each fillet; place into baking dish and
drizzle remaining two teaspoons of oil over the fish.
Bake 20-25 minutes; until
fish is flaky and filling is warm throughout. (Remember, I live at a higher altitude, so your baking time might be 15 to 20 minutes instead.)
Makes 2 servings.
Mary Cokenour