Tilapia With Kalamata Olives & Grape Tomatoes…..

Tis the season to lighten things up!  I don’t know about you but I’ve gotten into quite a nibbling habit over the past few weeks.

Tilapia is  a favorite of mine.  It’s mild and thaws beautifully.  My kids really love it plain without fuss.  I kept their portions plain and I decided to liven up the rest for Joe and me.  I put a mediterranean twist on a brothy sauce I served with the fish.  Loved it when it pooled  into the rice pilaf.  No heavy, cheesy, creamy indulgent sauce.  Just delicious.

You will notice that I do not add salt to the sauce as the kalamata olives are quite salty.  Taste the sauce at the very end, (with an olive) before adding more seasoning.

Tilapia with Kalamata Oives & Grape Tomatoes

4 tilapia fillets, thawed
salt & Pepper
1/3 cup cornstarch
Olive oil

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons (or more) minced garlic
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives, halved
1/2 cup ripe grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley

For the fish:

1)  Preheat the oven to 350′.  Line a cookie sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray.
2)  Heat a non stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat, add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
3)  Put cornstarch into a medium size bowl.  Season the fish with salt and pepper.  Dredge into the cornstarch shaking off excess.  Carefully add the fish to the hot pan with the olive oil.  Resist the temptation to move things around in the pan.  You want the fish to get nicely brown without falling apart.  About 5 minutes per side.
4)  Place the fish on the prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 20 minutes.

For the sauce:

1)  Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a medium sauce pan over medium heat.  Once hot, add the garlic, cook for about one minute.
2)  Add the olives and tomatoes, allow to cook for about two minutes.
3)  Add the wine, chicken broth and lemon juice.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes.  Season to your own taste.  Spoon the sauce over the fish.  Serve with rice pilaf and steamed or oven roasted green beans.

Enjoy!

Angie