Sassy Seared Seafood

Quick searing seafood is a fabulous technique, especially if you like a brown and crusty finish.  A fishes short bands of quick twitch muscles (as opposed to long muscles in mammals) cook VERY quickly, so if you want a nice brown finish, you've got to cook it fast and hot.  Quick searing in a pan, on the grill, under a broiler, in a hot oven is the best way to go.

Technique Tips: Start with a large, heavy pan; it makes all the difference!  The more metal in the pan, the more heat it holds, which is key (we want a minimum of temperature drop when we add the fish to the pan).  A heavy stick free or seasoned iron pan is the best.  I use Calphalon, Lodge and DeBuyer pans. As for oil, I strongly suggest Picual olive oil, more details in the recipe notes below.

Seared Tilapia with Fried Jalapeno and Lemon

Preheat the pan over medium high flame as you season or bread the fish.  Keep the fish as cold as possible before cooking!  Add a 1-3 TBS swirl of oil to the pan (stick free pans need less oil, even a mist will do - but skimping on the oil reduces the brown crust).  When the oil is shimmering hot, add the fish and leave it alone - it will stick at first, but as the crust forms you can shake the pan or use a spatula to release.  Once the first side is good and brown, carefully turn over and repeat - removing from the pan before the fish gets overcooked - I generally sear about 3-4 minutes on the first side, and 1-2 on the second side - focusing on getting at least one nicely browned face, but not overcooking the filet.  For thick fishes, use lower temperatures - thin, higher temps.

Find the pictured recipe below, it's fast, easy and delicious!  I used Costa Rican tilapia this day, but it would be equally as good with almost any skinless or scaled fillet such as catfish, char, steelhead, salmon, halibut, striped bass, trout, mahimahi, lake perch, etc.



A Note on Seafood Sustainability
Irresponsible practices of farming and fishing are rampant, especially in third world countries.  The resulting disgraceful (but cheap!) products are dumped on American markets at a fraction of the price of responsible local products - and they are VERY common in grocery stores and restaurants.  We may save a buck, but the planet pays the cost - and often the damage to ecosystems, habitat and species is forever irreversible.  Unless we go out of our way to avoid these and other irresponsible products, we'll eat them every day and our dollars will continue to support the misdeeds.  If you'd like to learn more, sign up for our newsletter, we feature one or two sustainable seafood items each week.  If you get any questions, simply reply with a question from our newsletter - I'll get back to you! 

Seared Tilapia with Fried Jalapeno and Lemon

4 tilapia fillets*

Chef Mick's Chile Arriba! Sea Salt Seasoning

  - or Tony's Harissa or Cajun seasoning, or your favorite zesty blend

2 TBS olive oil (Picual preferred - see notes)

1-2 jalapenos, sliced

1 lemon, zest removed and cut into wedges

fleur de sel (sea salt flakes), optional

Spanish Picual Olive Oil

Season tilapia fillets generously on all sides with Chef Mick’s Chile Arriba! Sea Salt Seasoning - it would also be excellent with our Harissa Grill and Stir Fry, Cajun, or your favorite zesty blend.  Preheat a heavy 12-14 inch skillet over medium high heat.

Add oil to pan, swirl and when shimmering, add fish fillets, browning well on the first side, turn and repeat on the second side – estimate about 6 minutes total cooking time, depending on conditions.  Meanwhile, fry jalapeno slices in oil alongside.  Remove both fish and jalapenos to a rack.

Serve fillets over veggies, rice or potatoes topped with fried jalapeno slices and lemon zest and squeeze with remaining lemon wedges - also great served over  Jalapeno Mashed Potatoes , Coconut Rice  , Mango Rice  , or Mexican Rice 
- Serves 4-6, Gluten Free

 – Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci, www.TonysMarket.com  --  www.TonyRosacciCatering.com

Chef's Note:  Picual olive oil is only made from Spanish picual olives, and not blended.  I choose it for several reasons.  1) It tastes great right from the bottle  2) Picual has the highest smoke point of any olive oil so it is the best choice for cooking, even low temp frying.  3) The price is very reasonable!  
- Picual is available at Tony's Markets.  If you don't have it, I suggest blending olive oil and canola oil.

*Tilapia, a freshwater perch originally from the Nile River, grows well in captivity and thrives on a grain-based diet.  We choose to only carry tilapia responsibly farm-raised in Colorado or Costa Rica.  Other great choices include Colorado striped bass, catfish, trout, salmon, char, steelhead and perch.

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About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area. Mick also teaches cooking on Denver’s Channel 7 News and Dig In, a local gardening show on FOX. For more recipes, visit www.TonysMarket.com and/or subscribe to Tony’s Culinary Club by clicking here.