Paprika Tilapia with a Tomato-Peach Salad

Sounds weird, right? I mean, I like peaches and I like tomatoes (a lot) but I wasn't so sure I wanted to eat them in the same bite. Still, the combination was getting rave reviews so I decided to give it a go. And guess what! It worked. That's right, somehow the sweet citrus of the peaches and the sweet tang of tomatoes worked together to create a light, refreshing summer blend. Happy I made a large batch, I took it in to work for lunch for the next few days.

In the interest of some more summer fare, I also tried a simple Tilapia, grilled to perfection with a savory, smoky Paprika spice mix on top. The Tilapia was tender, falling apart as I forked it up, and flavored just right.

Enjoy this meal as is or tear into some nice, crusty French bread and enjoy outside in the summer night air.

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20 min

Tomato-Peach Salad
Since these salads often taste best after they have sat in the fridge for a while, melding their flavors, I suggest preparing the salad first. Then let it chill while you make the fish. Also, while heirloom tomatoes are pricey, spring for them in this case. Spring to early summer is the best season to snatch them up and there is truly nothing else to match their taste. They make this salad!

Quick note on kinds: Beefsteak Heirloom tomatoes (not pictured) are the large tomatoes that look wrinkly. Instead of being smooth ovals they have ridges and bumps. I used a mix of Heirloom and Exotic Cherry tomatoes as well, which are pictured above. They came in purple, yellow, and red and were of varying size and shape.

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 c red onion, sliced into thin strips
3 peaches, pitted and cut into thin wedges
2 heirloom beefsteak tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1 c heirloom cherry tomatoes (mixed colors preferred) sliced in half
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp sherry
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 c fresh basil, shredded

(this recipe is based upon a similar one from Cooking Light)

Wash and slice your onion and various tomatoes as specified above. Toss together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl combine the white wine vinegar, sherry, olive oil, honey, and black pepper. Whisk until evenly mixed. Drizzle over the peach-tomato mixture and toss until well coated. Sprinkle the basil over top and toss that in as well.

Refrigerate until you are ready to eat the salad.

Paprika Tilapia
Simple? Yes. But tasty? Yes, as well.

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1.5 tsp Paprika
.5 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb Tilapia

Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. As it heats, combine the olive oil, Paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Use a cooking brush (or sub a spoon if you don't have one) to brush the tilapia evenly with the olive oil-Paprika mixture until it's fully coated and all of the mixture has been distributed.

Put the fillets on the grill pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until done. The fish will flake easily when finished.