Recipe ~ Baked Costa Rican Style Tilapia with Rice and Beans

I am notoriously bad at cooking fish. I do not like pan frying it because it sticks to my pans and falls apart so easily. Deep frying it, I always get burned, and have the same problem of it falling apart. Baking it, well in the past when I tried baking fish, let's just say we ordered pizza that night.

But I was determined to find a good fish recipe I could handle, because we are all sick to death of chicken!

 This fish recipe sounded just like something we all could eat and enjoy. (thank you Food Network) But of course, I did not have all the ingredients on the list, so I tweaked it with what I had on hand.

Here is my take.I substituted parsley and tarragon for the cilantro, and lemons for the limes. Plus, I used just the pineapple juice instead of the chunks of pineapple. I also doubled the recipe when I made it because we have hearty eaters here, but this one here should be enough for normal people.

OJ and lemonphoto courtesy of Raige Creations

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup orange juice
1 lemon, juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup parsley
1/8 cup tarragon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
4 tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry
2 cups salsa
1 15oz can black beans drained
1 cup pineapple juice
lemon thinly sliced



Directions

Get the rice going! 

Chicken broth and ricephoto courtesy of Raige Creations

Combine the rice and the chicken broth in a pot over medium heat, bring to a boil. 

Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed the liquid, about 20 minutes.

Marinate!

Fish fillets in marinade
photo courtesy of Raige Creations

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, the lemon juice, oil, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, some of the tarragon (I didn't measure), the garlic, sugar, and season with salt and pepper. Add the tilapia fillets to the marinade turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, turning occasionally. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Stir together the cooked rice, salsa, beans, pineapple juice, and the remaining parsley and tarragon in a 2 or 3 quart baking dish. 

Ingredients to add to rice.
photo courtesy of Raige Creations

Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserving the extra, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping as necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Lay the lemon slices on the fish fillets.

Ready to bake!
photo courtesy of Raige Creations

Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. 

Garnish with parsley and tarragon before serving.

Delish!
photo courtesy of Raige Creations

So in essence, this was a good meal, the rice was excellent, the fish was flakey and moist and cooked just right. 

What I would do differently.

I would use cilantro instead of parsley and tarragon, as the original recipe called for! I believe it would have curbed the sweetness of the orange juice and pineapple juice.

I would cut back on the pineapple juice, too. Or just use the chunks of pineapple in the original recipe. I would also cut back a wee bit on the salsa (personal taste here). And limes, I would get some limes. 

In essence, I would try the original recipe, I think the lime and cilantro would be a better mix. 

This just goes to show how you can tweak recipes with what you have on hand. Don't be afraid to change it up!