Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 cups carrots, peeled
- 2 tablespoons coconut milk
Instructions
- Boil the carrots until they’re tender.
- Puree the carrots in a food processor with the 2 tablespoons of coconut milk.
Pan-Fried Tilapia Meal
This post should really be titled “My love affair with pan-fried fish” because I can’t stop making it! I think I’ve had pan-fried fresh fish 3 times already in the past week!
I’ve generally been cooking wild cod, but I started thinking about tilapia after visiting Costa Rica. You’re probably confused – what’s Costa Rica got to do with tilapia? Apparently, tilapia is a huge export from Costa Rica, although my friends didn’t catch anything but red snapper when they went deep sea fish there. As it happens, tilapia is also one of the cheapest types of fish you can buy in the US. I got these tilapia filets for $6.99 at my local fishmonger and cooked them with some coconut carrot mash and egg fried zucchini slices. It was a really easy meal.
If you’re concerned about eating farmed tilapia, then please replace it with another fish – this recipe still works! And if you’re buying farmed tilapia, then look for US ones as the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch rates them as the Best Choices. Also, I was surprised to learn that tilapia has been farm-raised as far back as ancient Egypt.
And I also wanted to address the concern that tilapia has been shown to have higher omega-6 concentrations and lower omega-3 concentrations compared to many other fish. This was found in a 2008 study, and while this is very true, it’s also best not to immediately vilify tilapia. (See this article to read the director of that study explain that “We never intended to paint tilapia as the cause of anything bad.”) Tilapia is not the best fish option, but tilapia’s omega-3 levels are actually comparable to many other types of seafood including mahi mahi and yellowfin tuna.
CARROT MASH For the carrot mash, I boiled some carrots, then pureed them in the food processor with some coconut milk. 
EGG FRIED ZUCCHINI Thinly slice a zucchini. Whisk 2 eggs and add salt to the eggs. Drop the zucchini slices into the egg mixture and coat the slices with the mixture. Place into a pan with coconut oil in it and stir-fry it until the egg is cooked. 
PAN-FRIED TILAPIA Season the tilapia filet with some salt. Place the filets into a frying pan with coconut oil on a medium heat. Let the filets cook until most of the tilapia changes color (turns from opaque to white). Use a wide spatula to turn the filets over gently. Cook for a few more minutes and serve. 
Coconut Carrot Mash
Prep Time: 5 minutes- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Egg Fried Zucchini
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini
- 2 eggs
- salt to taste
- coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Thinly slice the zucchini.
- Whisk the 2 eggs and add salt to the mixture.
- Place the zucchini slices into the egg mixture and coat the slices with the mixture.
- Drop the slices and the mixture into a pan with the coconut oil.
- Cook until the zucchini slices soften and the eggs are cooked.
Pan-Fried Tilapia
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tilapia filets
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil for frying
Instructions
- Place the coconut oil into a frying pan on medium heat.
- Salt the tilapia filets.
- Place the filets into the frying pan and let it cook until most of the fish has turned from opaque to white.
- Using a large spatula, turn the filets over and let it cook for a few more minutes.