Baked Tilapia with Arugula and Pecan Pesto

SUBMITTED BY: Another Black Swan PHOTO BY: pomplemousse

"Having lived in the culinary paradise known as Vietnam for a few years has inspired me to experiment with a variety of Asian fusion dishes; this is one of my favorites. Most of these ingredients are abundant in the US as well as in Vietnam. This unique pesto gives the Tilapia a tantalizing flavor. Hope you enjoy!"

PREP TIME	20 Min
COOK TIME	20 Min
READY IN	40 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING

Original recipe yield: 4 servings

USMETRIC

About scaling and conversions

INGREDIENTS

3 cups young arugula leaves, rinsed and dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 dash fresh lemon juice
sea salt to taste
1/2 cup young arugula leaves, rinsed and dried
4 (8 ounce) fillets tilapia
1 tablespoon grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

READ REVIEWS (2)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.
Combine 3 cups arugula, garlic, pecans, olive oil, 1/4 CUP Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, black pepper, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until it reaches the consistency of a pesto sauce.
Spread 1/2 cup arugula on the prepared baking pan. Place the tilapia fillets on the arugula. Spread the remaining pesto generously on top of fillets. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on the pesto.
Bake in preheated oven until fish flakes easily, about 20 minutes.

ADVERTISE WITH US

REVIEWS

Reviewed on Apr. 4, 2008 by betsyjane

This is good, but it seems to be missing something. Salt, maybe? I was hoping for a little more flavor. The arugula did end up tasting like spinach and it overpowered the other ingredients.

1 user found this review helpful

Reviewed on Mar. 31, 2008 by pomplemousse

Well, this helped me learn that bf does indeed like tilapia! LOL. I had a hard time finding arugula, which surprised me. After all that, I'm not sure if it was just bad quality arugula or if I just can't tell the difference, bc it just tasted like spinach to me. I had probably 2 cups total, but that was plenty to cover 4 small filets. I used the food processor bc I don't have a blender. Bf said it was "weird, but good" so we can make it again. Thanks for the recipe and the idea--I think basil or sundried tomato pesto would be awesome on tilapia.

1 user found this review helpful