Sweet and Sour Tilapia

Can you spot the purple rice?

I've been cooking my way through the excellent blog Pinch of Yum, and yet again, it's led us to a super delicious and healthy dinner. I might need to turn my blog into a Pinch of Yum fan site.

This sweet and sour sauce tastes just like I wanted it to... a fresher version of the sweet and sour sauce you'd get at a Chinese restaurant. And who needs fried fish? I mean, I guess now that I think about it, fried fish here would have been kind of amazing. But I'll stop thinking about it, because this pan-seared version was great too.

I'm excited to keep making this with vegetables from the garden throughout the summer. All I grew in tonight's version was the kale, but my zucchini and bell peppers will be here soon enough.

Update:

Sometimes you cook for people and they do unintended things with the leftovers. My dad put his leftover fish on a pumpernickel bagel.

He claimed this was a good idea.

The Recipe:

2 lb tilapia, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 c cider vinegar

1/3 c ketchup

1/4 c sugar, or more to taste

1/2 tsp salt

juice and pulp from half of an orange

1/4 c chili-garlic sauce

3 tb cornstarch

1 can pineapple chunks, juice reserved

vegetables (I used 2 yellow onions, 2 bell peppers, 1 zucchini, and a bunch of kale; all cut into bite-sized pieces)

rice (I used a mixture of brown and black rice), for serving

sesame seeds, for serving

• In a sauce pan, combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, orange juice and pulp, pineapple juice, and chili-garlic sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes. 
• Dissolve corn starch in 2 tb water and mix into the sauce. Bring to a low boil while stirring, then simmer until sauce is thickened.
• Mix tilapia with cumin, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper. Pan-sear in a few tablespoons of canola oil over high heat, turning occasionally for about 10 minutes or until fish is cooked through. Set fish aside.
• Add vegetables to the hot pan and saute until slightly softened.
• Add pineapple, fish, and sauce to the sauteed vegetables. Mix to combine.
• Serve over rice, topped with sesame seeds.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: A-

Overall reason: A tasty way to eat healthy ingredients. The sugar content prevents it from getting a straight A.

Time to prepare: 40 minutes

Husband quote: Me: "Look at your dinner! It's beautiful." Husband: "Look at my wife! She's beautiful."