Cilantro-Lime Grilled Tilapia

Yep..another grilling recipe.  I pretty much stop using the oven during the warm, summer months.  Tilapia is such a simple and versatile fish to cook.  Also known as Cherry Snapper, Lemon Snapper, Nile Perch, Red & Blue Hybrids, or St. Peter's Fish.  If you're the type that doesn't like the taste or smell of fish; I'd highly recommend trying tilapia before scratching off all seafood in your book.

Tilapia is a fast growing farmed fish.  It's short life-span and low-protein diet (tilapia require very little fishmeal & fish oil in their feed) gives this fish a very low mercury level.  Tilapia can also be a sustainable choice of fish for these reasons, if you buy from the right place.  US farmed tilapia are the most sustainable choice.  Most US tilapia farms use low-risk re-circulating systems; which produce less pollution than other methods of farming.  Another interesting fact:  these tasty fish are resistant to and have a very low incidence of disease, which means chemicals, antibiotics or drugs are rarely (if ever) added to their water.  The one downside is that they are an aggressive tropical species which makes them a threat to native freshwater fish populations if they were to escape from the farms.  If you are curious about seafood sustainability; and where to buy the best fish, I recommend researching the Blue Ocean Institute website.  They have a great guide to seafood.  If you're an app geek (like me), they also have a wonderful mobile app called "Fish Phone" available on iTunes.  The app is very handy, especially while you grocery shop.

Okay, now to the recipe.   I recently threw this together and experimented in hopes of having a crispy Panko-topping (Panko are Japanese-style breadcrumbs).  Turns out the breadcrumbs just got soggy, which makes total sense--the heat source comes from below in a grill (not above); duh!  The only reason I am keeping the breadcrumbs in the recipe is because of how good it turned out.  My theory is that the breadcrumbs absorbed the marinade while cooking, keeping moisture from escaping; thus making the fish incredibly moist, flaky, and flavorful!  I've marinated fish using similar ingredients in the past, but never has it come out this delicious.  The downfall..a very thin layer of soggy breadcrumbs on top of the fish; which is easily fixed by scraping it off with the edge of a fork.  I honestly don't know if it was the Panko, or something else; all I know is that this was the tastiest fish I've grilled in a long time.. Enjoy!

Cilantro-Lime Grilled Tilapia

Ingredients:

• 3 Tilapia fillets (about 1 to 1.25 lbs)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup GOYA Mojo Criollo*
• 1/8 cup cider vinegar
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp Japanese-style Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/8 tsp red cayenne pepper
• aluminum foil

*Mojo is a Latin-American marinade with garlic, herbs, onion & citrus flavors; found in the international foods section in most grocery stores.  My mother used this in many dishes & whatever she made with it always turned out amazing; which is why it's become a staple in my fridge.  Moderation is key with this seasoning though, it does have a high sodium content.

Directions:

Prepare & measure ingredients.  Place fillets on a sheet of wax paper or aluminum foil over a large plate.  In a bowl, mix together oil, Mojo, vinegar, lime juice, pepper & cilantro.  Pour over fish, coating all sides.  Cover and marinade for 30 minutes, turning fish over halfway.  In a small bowl or ramekin, mix Panko, paprika, and cayenne; reserve for later.

Warm up grill to medium heat.  Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture over top of each filet and place the fish on a large sheet of non-stick foil with edges folded up.  Pour any leftover marinade over it & place on the grill.  Loosely cover fish with foil, leaving some open room to allow steam to escape.  Grill over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes; flipping each filet over halfway.  The fish will be done when meat flakes off easily with a fork, or has reached a minimum internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit.  On a side note..if you're curious about the various cooking temperatures of meat and seafood, check out the governments food safety website.  When the fish is cooked, remove from grill and serve.  

For fish tacos:  flake off large pieces of fish with a fork & serve over corn tortillas with sliced avocado, diced tomatoes & jalepenos, cabbage slaw (recipe coming soon!), fresh cilantro, crumbled queso fresco, and a lime wedge.  For a healthy, low-fat, flavorful & fresh fish tacos; these are perfect!