Monday, July 23, 2007

Grilled Tilapia with basil-chive butter and parmesan steak fries

Grilled Tilapia with basil-chive butter and parmesan steak fries

Yesterday Joao and I celebrated our 2 year and a half anniversary – I was (still am) recovering from a horrible flu that got me last week so we decided to stay in and celebrate it at home.
A nice meal made with love was mandatory!! :)

The recipe for the fish was taken from the July issue of Bon Appétit – I adapted some details. If you want to make it like the one in the magazine, use halibut instead of Saint Peter fish (Tilapia) and spring onions instead of chives.
I seasoned the fish with garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and marinated the fillets for 2 hours, even though it’s not asked in the recipe.

The potatoes were taken from this book, and they were delicious – the only problem was that I used waxed paper instead of parchment paper and I had to peel the potato spears off the paper. Next time, a spritz of cooking spray will do the trick – thank you, Lydia, for the hint on the spray, I’ve been using it like crazy! :)

Grilled Tilapia with basil-chive butter
from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast and from Bon Appetit magazine

1 ½ cups (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
4 tablespoons chopped chives
8 tablespoons (½ cup-112g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
6 x 170g (6-ounce) Tilapia fillets
extra virgin olive oil

Finely chop basil and chives in a mini food processor. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, and process until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in lemon zest and season with salt – I used a little freshly ground black pepper, too.
Prepare barbecue (medium heat) or grilling pan.
Rub fish fillets on both sides with olive oil. Grill until fillets are just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side.
Transfer fish to plates and immediately spread some basil butter over fish.
Serve, passing additional basil butter alongside.

Serves 6.

Parmesan steak fries

3 large egg whites – I think 2 would be enough
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 baking potatoes, 220 to 280g (8-10 ounces) each
1 ¼ cups (125g) grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF.
In a wide shallow bowl, whisk the egg whites with 1 teaspoon salt until frothy.
Cut each potato into 6 long spears; add to the egg whites and turn to coat.
One at a time, lift the spears out of the egg whites shaking off excess.
Working over a plate, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese until coated (do not shake the excess). Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake without turning until the potatoes are fork-tender and golden brown – about 30 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper before serving.

Serves 4

47 comments:

Deborah said...

Both of these look awesome, but especially the fries! I'm hungry now.

Valentina said...

Congratulations to the loving couple! I loved the meal - great ingredients, various textures. A winner indeed.

Meeta K. Wolff said...

Congrats to you two! What a way to celebrate! Lovely menu!

Susan said...

Hope you are feeling much better now, Patricia. The flu is no fun.

I love your use of tilapia (a favorite) over halibut. The oven fries look great, too. I gave up on Martha a while ago, but these are worth trying.

Congratulations on your 2 & 1/2 anniversary! Has the time gone fast or slow?

Nora B. said...

Congratulations on your 2.5 years anniversary! A home-cooked meal made with lots of love is a good way to celebrate, whether or not one is ill. I hope that you are feeling much better.

The parmesan steak fries is something new to me and I really like the idea. Thanks for the recipe and tips.

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

This is causing me serious problems. Wish I was having this for dinner.
Half year anniversaries now that's the ticket! Glad you're feeling a little better.

Janet said...

The fish looks great... but the Parmesan fries really grabbed my attention... they look AWESOME!!

Dolores said...

Happy anniversary, and thanks for sharing your celebratory meal. It looks yummy... especially the fries!

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Happy anniversary -- I hope you are feeling better. What a lovely celebratory meal!

Anonymous said...

Mm mm mm - the fries look great, but that gorgeous, tender, succulent fish is making me totally hungry!

Thistlemoon said...

Those fries look amazing, Patricia!
Happy anniversary! A meal made with love is the best kind!

Ani L. Arambula said...

Happy Anniversary!

I'm not much for fish but everyone tells me I should try tilapia because it has a light flavor. This recipe sounds like one I would like to try. And of course, those fries look scrumptuous!

Brilynn said...

I am definitely making those fries! They look great!

Warda said...

Oh my dear Patricia,
I hope you are doing better from the flu. Happy anniversary to Joao and you wih lots of happiness and yummy grilled chicken to come. With love. Rose

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary! And I do hope you get better soon *hugs*

Stella said...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY PAT!!!!!!
WOAAWWW! Your hubby is lucky to have a wife like you, I'll never stop saying that!
Wish you all the best & love you deserve in life!
muakzzz

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering, would the fries work with purple yams? I just bought some, and I think that it would look very good, but I'm not sure about the taste.

Karin W. said...

Sorry to hear about your flu, Patricia. A bad one, and you are in no condition to do anything at all, but stay in bed.
We recently celebrated our 43rd Engagement Day.(July 4th) So, good luck to both of you!

From one thing to another... maybe a stupid question.. What´s the difference between parchment paper, wax paper and baking paper? (In Sweden we only have one single name for those papers).

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary (and a half). I like celebrating 1/2 years - twice as much party!

Your steak fries look delicious. I could make a meal out of just those.

wheresmymind said...

Those fries look SOO good!

Truffle said...

What a lovely meal and happy anniversary!

pam said...

Happy Anniversary! I am definitely making those fries tonight, they look amazing. And I've got all the ingredients for the fish, so I might have to just copy your entire meal!

Wendy said...

I'd never heard of tilapia until last week and now I'm reading about it everywhere! Will have to look out for it. Adore the sound of this butter.

BitterSweet said...

Happy Anniversary! :)

Abby said...

YUM. Fish and chips! Ha. Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Congratulations Patricia! I hope you are feeling better. Fish looks great by the way...

Patricia Scarpin said...

Deb, the fries are delicious!

Tina, thank you!

Meeta, thank you - we both liked it a lot and João is not into fish. :)

Susan, I am, thank you! My voice is still funny, though. :)
I love Martha and I'm in love with that book, sweetie, but I totally respect your point of view - I've learned that many of my favorite foodies don't like her that much. :)
Time has flown, I can tell! :)

Nora, thank you! We popped a bottle of wine, too, even though I was still on my flu meds - bad girl! :D
I do hope you try the fries, they're wonderful!

Tanna, you are so sweet, my dear friend. Thank you. Your comment has put a smile on my face!

Janet, what's not to like here, with potatoes and cheese?? :D

Hey, sweetie, thank you! I really like sharing my food with you and the other readers!

Lydia, thanks! I am feeling better, back to work already.

Ellie, the fish was delicious and I think it would have worked well baked, too!

Jenn, thank you! I agree, sweetie!

Hey, sweetie, my husband is not into fish either and he loved this dish - I think that the herb butter makes it a lot more special.

Bri, tks, sweetie! I would trade them for some of your desserts... Some, not one, OK? ;)

Rose, you are so generous. Thank you, I deeply appreciate it.

Ovenhaven, thank you! I do feel better already!
xoxo

Valentina, thank you! You are so sweet, my dear, and I'm gonna tell João that. ;)
xxxxx

HungryKat, good question! I don't know because I'm not familiar with purple yams - I think that if they're not too wet it would work fine!
Cheese makes everything better. ;)

Karin, I stayed in bed Friday and Saturday, recovering, and I'm glad I did because I feel better already.
That Engagement Day sounds great - and what a nice coincidence, my blog written in Portuguese was "born" in July 4, too! :)
Not stupid at all - parchment paper is the brown one, similar to supermarket paper bags.
And baking paper and waxed paper are pretty much the same, but waxed is shinier and smoother because of the wax - that all from a Brazilian point of view. :D

Lynn, we like celebrating the halves, too! :)

Jeff, thank you! :)

Truffle, thank you - we had fun!

Pam, thanks! I would love to hear your opinion on the fries, maybe even see them on your blog, I'd be honored! :)

Wendy, this fish is very popular here yet this was my first time cooking with it.
The butter is delicious and the magazine says you can spread it over chicken and shrimp, too! :)

Hannah, thanks!!

Abby - they're great together, right? :)
Tks!

Mandy said...

hey Patricia,
Congratulation on your 2.5 yr anniversary! Hope you are feeling better now.
I can see so much love you have put in the dishes. :)

Lisa said...

Congratulations on your anniversary! And what a way to celebrate! (Coincidence: we both wrote about fish in our newest posts, although mine was takeout, not homemade.)

This entire meal is a must-try for me. Posting to del.icio.us immediately. The fish and the fries both sound so very good. And I love it when I can use not one but two herbs from my garden.

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary and glad you were feeling well enough to enjoy a delicious meal at home with your sweetheart. It looks scrumptious, which is so surprise, since you made it. :)

How have you been otherwise? We should email Patricia, I feel as if we've fallen out of touch!

Hugs


Ari (Baking and Books)

Anonymous said...

Love those fries...what kind of potatoes make baking potatoes - russet, yukon gold...or?
Do you think yam (sweet potato) could be baked like that ?

Anh said...

Congrat on the celebration! It's so sweet to know ;)

And I love your meal, especially the Parmesan steak fries. I am a big fan of potatoes and anything high carb! :P

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary Patricia...congrats. My 7th year anniversary is tomorrow :). Glad you are feeling better from the flu too.
This tilapia looks scrumptious...I just harvested a bunch of chives from my friends yard...guess i'll have to get basil too and make this .

Helene said...

Hey Patricia, Happy Anniversary! Glad that you are feeling better. That dinner is exactly what I was craving tonight! I am making it tomorrow :)

Toni said...

Happy Anniversary, Patricia! Sorry to hear you had the flu - that takes the fun out of cooking AND eating!

This recipe looks terrific! I love just about anything that comes out of the ocean, and this fish looks superb! And those fries? OMG! I'm ready to eat some right now!

Toni said...

p.s. - Anything cooked with love is the absolute perfect gift! Joao is a very lucky man, indeed.

And I still am aching for those fries!

Anonymous said...

Any meal you make, Patricia, looks like "made with love" so that one must have been extra special...hope you had a great day!
Tatter

Figs, Bay, Wine said...

Looks utterly delicious! That compound butter looks addictive, and I'm so glad you're on the mend. Happy anniversary!

Anonymous said...

Happy Anniversary to the two of you!!! Tilapia is a favorite fish of mine...it's easily available here so we always use it :) I'll be adding this to my list of tilapia dishes...thanks! (The fries sound great too!)

Anonymous said...

First, happy anniversary to you and Joao! What a perfect way to celebrate. Second, glad you're finally feeling better, Patricia.

And now the food. Wow. The title of the post alone got my mouth watering. And the recipes completely delivered. I bet the basil-chive butter would also be great on grilled chicken or steaks. But there's something about the lightness of fish that probably works especially well with it.

Oh for the love of food! said...

Happy Anniversary Patricia! What a gorgeous celebration dinner, I especially love the parmesan chips. Good to know you're feeling better, have more liquids, won't you.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations!!! I hope you're feeling better now. :) Those fries are going to haunt my dreams tonight! Wonderful looking!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Cenk, thank you! I'm so glad you stop by.

Mandy, thank you! I'm better and longing to cook again! :D

Lisa, it's so nice to have you visiting me here! Thanks!
I'm glad you liked this recipe, I always try to add more fish to our meals.

Ari, I couldn't agree with you more - I miss our emails! I'm gonna write to you today!
Your last post moved me, did you know that? That sort of rice pudding reminds me so much of my mom!
xoxo

Tigerfish, tough question! To be honest, my husband picked the potatoes and he doesn't know about these things... They worked very well, but I don't the which kind he bought! :)
I wonder if the yams would go well with Parmesan - as for being baked, I think they would work fine!

Anh, tks!! Me too, that's why my diets are always a huge failure! :)

Veron, tks!! And congratulations to you, too, sweetie!
You should try it!

Helen, my dear, tks!! I do hope you like it!

Toni, tks! I know, on the first days of the flu I couldn't taste anything, awful! :(
I love fish, too, and I'm always looking for different ways to make it!
You are so sweet, my friend! I am lucky to have him, too. :)
Beijos!

Tatter, thank you! I'm so glad you stopped by! We did have fun together!

Amanda, thank you! That butter is really good, I want to try it with chicken!

Joey, you fish dishes always look so good, sweetie! I'm glad you liked mine.

Terry, thank you, my dear friend!
That butter would be wonderful on so many things, it's really delicious - I'm a huge fan of herbs, I was immediately drawn to this recipe the minute I saw it on the magazine.

Carol, tks!! I've been drinking tons of water and tea, thank you for your concern!

Sher, they are delicious, you should give them a go! :)

Amy said...

Happy anniversary! I hope you feel better soon. *hug* Those fries look absolutely mouthwatering!

Peter M said...

From the amount of comments, this is much liked...those potatoes look yum. I'll have to try the egg white method!

WokandSpoon said...

I love tilapia fish! And those fries - OMG! They look lovely but I feel my arteries hardening ;-)

Jeanne said...

OMG. That looks incredible, especially the fries. We seldom see tilapia here, but next time I see it I know what I can do with it!!

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