Sautéed Tilapia with Bacon, Capers & Baby Tomatoes
If you're not familiar with tilapia, this recipe will make a believer out of you. Bacon, grape tomatoes, capers and lemon juice round out this dish, and the caramelized red onions add sweetness and color.Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 fresh tilapia fillets (about 4 oz. each)
- 2 strips bacon, diced
- 1 medium red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 handful baby tomatoes (also called grape tomatoes), sliced
- 2 Tbsp capers
- Juice of 2 large lemons (1/3 to ½ cup lemon juice)
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 oz. unsalted butter (½ stick)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
Preparation:
- Slowly caramelize the onions in a pan with a bit of butter and oil. This will take between 20 and 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a cold sauté pan, slowly cook the bacon until most of the fat has turned liquid. The diced bacon should be golden brown but not too crispy. Transfer the bacon and fat to a heat-proof container and set aside.
- Lightly dredge the tilapia fillets in flour and shake off any excess.
- Now pour about half the bacon fat back into the sauté pan you cooked the bacon in. Bring the heat up until it starts to sizzle, then add the tilapia.
- Cook the tilapia for 2-3 minutes, without moving it around the pan too much. Lower the heat if the pan starts to smoke.
- Gently flip the fillets over and cook the other sides for another couple of minutes. The fish should be crispy and golden brown. Remove the fillets from the pan and set them aside.
- Pour the rest of the bacon fat into the pan, then add the rest of the butter. When the butter foams, add the sliced tomatoes, the lemon juice and the capers. Cook for a minute, then add the caramelized red onions and the diced bacon. When everything is nicely bubbling, return the tilapia to the pan and heat it through for about 30 seconds, then remove from heat.
- Gently remove the fillets from the pan and plate them, topped generously with the bacon, onion and tomato mixture.
Makes 4 servings.
