Cilantro-Curry Tilapia with Toasted Coconut and Sauteed Plaintains

Think bold flavors and soft textures enclosed by crispy edges and coatings. Sound amazing? Then you're ready to make this Caribbean-themed meal. The fresh cilantro mixed with sweet coconut and a tad of spice from the curry make the fish practically melt in your mouth. This is an especially good recipe for people who enjoy rich flavoring.

Along with the Tilapia I prepared some sauteed plantains. These cousins of banana are a great source of vitamins A and C, but also come loaded with a fair amount of natural sugar. So enjoy these delicious, starchy fruits, but don't overload on them too often! Luckily they have a wonderful taste so a little goes a long way. (And they're sweet enough you won't want dessert after dinner!!)

Difficulty: easy
Time: 25 minutes
Cost: $12.08



Cilantro-Curry Tilapia with Toasted Coconut
Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 tsp salt
1 c cilantro, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp + 1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp curry powder
3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp flaked sweetened coconut
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb Tilapia

First, you'll make the topping. Combine the salt, cilantro, lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, curry powder, and garlic cloves in a food processor. Process until everything is chopped and evenly blended. Set aside for now.

Get your broiler heating up. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread about 2 tbsp of flaked, sweetened coconut on the cookie sheet. Just as you put your fish on the stove to cook, put this in the oven. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Now, the fish! Heat a pan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tsp of olive oil, swirling to coat. Let the oil heat and then add the fish. Sprinkle the Tilapia evenly with the black pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your desire.

Remove the pan from the heat, but leave the fish in the pan. Use a spoon to evenly spread the cilantro-curry topping evenly on top of all of the fillets. Then, when all of the topping is used, sprinkle evenly with the coconut. Enjoy!

Sauteed Plantains
Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
3 large plantains, sliced
1.5 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter

Make sure you buy plantains that look rather black, as if they were rotting bananas. This actually means they are quite ripe and will now be sweet! Yellow plantains will not be sweet or mushy enough to work well here. (Note: plantains are also larger than bananas so 3 is a good amount.)

Slice your plantains and put in a bowl with the sugar. Toss to combine well.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and let it melt, swirling to coat. As soon as it has melted, add the sugared plantains. Saute for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The edges of the plantains should be browned and slightly crispy with mushy insides. Remove from the heat and serve- trying not to gobble down all of these delicious bites at once!