Baked Costa Rican Style Tilapia With Pineapples, Black Beans and Rice

Photo: Adelina

Ingredients

Ingredients:

Rice

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups long-grain white rice

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

salt to taste

Tilapia

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

2 lime, juiced

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup margarita mix

2 teaspoons red chili flakes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 tilapia fillets, rinsed and patted dry

Bean& Tomato Salsa

3 cups tomatoes

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 serrano chili, seeded

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 Anaheim Chili

1 tablespoon cilantro

salt to taste

1 can (15 -ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups diced fresh pineapple

2 limes, thinly sliced

Warm flour tortilla for serving

Preparation

Rice:

Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil and add the rice. Stir for about 3 minutes to toast the rice. Combine the rice and chicken broth, water in a pot over medium heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and has absorbed all of the liquid, about 20 minutes.

Fish:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and add the tilapia fillets to the marinade, turning to coat. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or overnight. (Ziploc bags work great in marinating meats.)

Bean & Tomato Salsa

Combine all the ingredients except the beans and process until smooth. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Add in the beans and reserve for the rice.

Stir together the cooked rice, 3 cups of bean salsa, pineapple, in a 3-quart baking dish. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, reserve the marinade, and lay the fish fillets over the rice mixture, overlapping if necessary. Pour the reserved marinade over the fish. Bake until the fish flakes easily, is opaque, and cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro before serving.

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About

You might be wondering what does a Costa Rican Tilapia taste like… I was too, when I saw this recipe posted on Food Network’s site by Ingrid Hoffmann. (host of the Food Network show, Simply Delicioso)

Every 3 months, my hairdresser cousin comes over on a weeknight, when my kids are already asleep to get my hair done. Since it’s summer and the kids don’t have school, I told her to come with her family so we can have dinner and her girls can play with my girls.

I thought I would make this dish for them since it had the carbs and the protein packed into one dish. I also thought it would be great for me to prepare the night before so that way when I come home from work, all I need to do is just combine some of my ingredients and pop it in the oven.

It worked out perfect. The dish came together nice and felt very Costa Rican. The flavors were very summery and tropical and our guests loved it! On the following day, they also made great burritos with the leftovers.

Please note that I did modify the original recipe to my own taste preferences, and made up my own tomato bean salsa. Hope you enjoy!