Spicy Cajun Tilapia

This blog has been in the works for weeks now. I've tested it twice and it's still not perfect, definitely still open to criticisms, suggestions, etc.  I don't have extensive experience with spices, but lately I've kind of taken it upon myself to learn which flavors "go with" which cuisine. This was my first attempt creating a sort-of cajun dish. 

I was incredibly impressed with the result (no surprise there... BTW Barefoot Contessa's ultimate outrageous brownies are complicated and NOT that delicious.. skip those, make this instead, especially if you're like me and you just can't handle all the measurements)

This recipe is VERY forgiving.. I didn't ACTUALLY measure any of the spices (I estimated for any of you who might actually read this and think "that sounds good but i have no idea how much a sprinkle of cumin is")

Oh.. and no pictures... yet. I'll snap some next time Tilapia is on sale and I try round 3. Great One Pot Dish.. feeds a lot with a little. Impressive but easy.

Cajun Tilapia

Serves 4

Cook/Prep Time: 35 min

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs Tilapia (fresh or frozen or freshly thawed.. whatever)

5 Cups (cooked white rice, you can read the box on this one, I estimated 1 1/4 cups per person)

1 large (32 oz.) can diced tomatoes

2 cups celery, chopped bias-cut (about 4-5 stalks)

1 small yellow onion, julienned

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 green bell pepper, julienned

1/2 t. Lemon Zest

2 T Green Onion, chopped

1/4 C. EVOO

1 T Chopped Garlic

1/4 t. Chopped Ginger

Spices

1 t Marjoram

2 Bay Leaves

1 t. Smoked Paprika

1/2 t. Crushed Red Pepper

1/2 T. Black Pepper

1/2 T. White Pepper (OK to just double Black pepper instead)

Salt to taste

1 t. Turmeric

1/2 t. Allspice

1 t. Lemon seasoning salt

1/4 t. Onion powder

1 t. Cayenne Pepper

Prepare white rice as directed. If desired (I left my dad in charge of the rice, and he likes to add butter to everything) add 2T margarine and salt and pepper to taste. 

Rise fish and set aside (defrost under cool running water if necessary).

Prepare celery, bell peppers and onion and set aside. 

In a large saute pan, heat EVOO with chopped garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Pan sear fish 2 min on each side (All 6 pieces fit in my 5 qt pan, but if you don't have a large enough pan you can do the fish in batches). Remove fish and set aside on plate.

In the same saute pan (leave all the yummy juices in the bottom of the pan) Add the celery, peppers and onions and saute for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and remainder of spices, lemon zest and green onion and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Re-Add fish, spooning the sauce on top of the fish, immersing it  let simmer 5-10 more minutes.

Serve over rice.

If you're not a fan of fish, try it with chicken, adjusting the 2 min sear to a full 5-6 min per side to fully cook chicken.