Parchment Tilapia, lazy style

Update: since I found out that tilapia actually isn’t a good source of omega 3s, we now use flounder instead.  Yum yum!!!

The criteria for a good weeknight recipe are: yummy, easy, quick, and main meal and veggie all in one.  This tilapia is all of the above!  I’ve been meaning to post this recipe for a long time.  It’s an old standby, perfect for when I’m not going to be home and I can just put everything together quickly and have DH pop it in the oven.  It also makes good use of the lemongrass from my garden, and is perfect for green peppers that just are too harsh tasting to have raw.  I freeze some of the long lemongrass stalks to make this recipe in the winter months.

Lemongrass is used as an herb, but it’s actually a grass. Usually, it’s not eaten and just added for flavor, but if you have tiny pieces in a dish, it’s certainly edible. It’s commonly used in Thai and other East Asian dishes. If you have a cat and intend to grow lemongrass, beware. Not only will they devour the whole darn plant, but then they will regift you with the lemongrass, pre-chewed. Do not ask how I know this.

Tilapia is bland, which makes it a perfect canvass for garlic and ginger, which are both fabulous anti-inflammatory herbs.  They also freeze really well, and I chop them when I have the time, and then thaw mini cubes of chopped ginger and garlic when needed.

I used to make fish wrapped in foil, and it takes a heck of a long time to wrap them individually in tilapia and then re-wrap in foil.  There’s a simple solution, though: make one big foil envelope, and save the trouble!

4 flounder or tilapia fillets
5 bell peppers, sliced in rounds
2 Thai peppers, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, minced
6-7 cloves of garlic, minced

2-3 chopped green onions
4-foot long green outer leaves of lemongrass, finely minced (I’m sure you can use dried, but I never have)
2 Tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, OR a splash of soy sauce
1.5 tablespoons maple syrup, or 3-4 Tablespoons fruit juice, or a pinch of stevia
sesame seeds (optional)

Line a 9X13 pan with foil, and then also line with parchment paper, if desired.  Put fish in the dish.  Combine ginger, garlic, chopped lemongrass, salt, oil and sweetener, stir to combine.  Pour over fish, sprinkle peppers on top.  Cover pan tightly with a second piece of foil and crimp the edges.

Bake 25-30 minutes (a little longer for flounder)or until done. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, serve and enjoy.

I’m serving up this tilapia as an ode to lemongrass for this week’s edition of Weekend Herb Blogging, the brainchild of Kalyn’s Kitchen. Our hostess this week is Valentina of Trembom, English Version

About Cheryl Harris

Life played a funny trick on me. I've studied nutrition for years, and much to my surprise, found out that I could manage many of my health issues via diet. I've been GF for years, and I've got a bunch of allergies and sensitivities. But it definitely doesn't keep me from cooking, baking and enjoying my food. Thanks for stopping by.
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11 Responses to Parchment Tilapia, lazy style

  1. Ricki says:

    Sounds lovely. I like the idea of actual lemongrass in the recipe! I discovered we have a lemon balm plant hidden among our mint, but it msut be quite different (really did not enjoy it). Guess your cat is a fan, though! 😉

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  3. Kalyn says:

    I’m very jealous that you’re growing lemongrass. Now I’m wondering if it would possibly grow here? Never seen it for sale at the garden center though. The tilapia sounds fantastic. Just my kind of recipe!

  4. brii says:

    ..well the lemon grass is one of my favorite herbs. very difficult to find here..and you finally find it, it doesn’t survive the winter. sigh!!
    do you know a way to save it?
    very nice receipt!! thanks for all the information!!
    have a nice week
    bacioniii

  5. Kalyn, Brii,
    I bought it online, and have given away MANY plants (it divides easily). It should grow in the summer anywhere, and before frost it should be cut back and brought indoors. My plant is 4 years old, I think, and going strong!

  6. Rachel says:

    Ooh, now I have to try growing some lemongrass in the garden. My problem, as yours seems to be, would be keeping my indoor kitties from chomping it down when it overwinters in the house. How do you accomplish this?

  7. Rachel,
    I put the lemongrass in a room that kitty isn’t allowed in. He can see it in the sunroom and howls at it sometimes. It’s both funny and a little sad.

    You can (and should) also cut the leaves back in the winter.

  8. Kalyn says:

    The lemongrass arrived and I’ve planted it in a pot inside the house, since the Utah nights are already pretty cold. Thank you so much! Now I just hope I can keep it alive until spring!

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