Imagine a tin foil dinner that is wonderfully flavorful and abnormally exciting. Behold Tilapia with Potatoes, Red Onion, Tomatoes and Smoky Red Pepper Oil! This may be our favorite way to eat tilapia: the vegetables end up perfectly tender and juicy, and the sweet, flaky fish positively melts in your mouth. The red pepper oil lends vibrance and interest with it’s cumin, paprika, garlic, and sherry vinegar. Delicate textures with a bold oil make for THE most perfect foil packet meal to enjoy anywhere from home to the woods to the fire pit at the beach.
Tip (unsponsored): We love the fish we find in the non-frozen section at Costco or at our local Asian market. This recipe calls for you to add a splash of wine or water before closing the foil packet. We suggest using wine for the lovely depth of flavor it offers. If you’re like us and don’t drink alcohol but use small amounts to cook with, check your local grocery store for mini chardonnay bottles. Our local Walmart carries a six-pack of mini, plastic chardonnay bottles that are perfect for cooking – no wasting the rest of a big bottle or freezing in cubes required.
You’ll want to par-boil your potatoes beforehand. Easy as can be, simply assemble and grill.
Twelve minutes later, you’ll be enjoying the best fish you’ve ever made.
Here’s the magical oil that makes all the difference:
(*Insert the gurgling sound Homer Simpson makes when he sees doughnuts here.)
Have your kids help you place vegetables on each foil packet, taking note of the beautiful aroma of the fresh herb you choose. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with those you love, teach them a few things about some of the ingredients:
- Fish, such as tilapia, contain a lot of marvelous nutrients, but are most well-known for their omega-3 fats, which are great for your brain and which your body can’t make on it’s own so you must supply it through the food you eat. These acids are believed to lower your risk of all the major diseases you hear most about, such as heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
- Red potatoes’ skins are full of iron, which helps your blood to oxygenate your body.
- Red onions help your heart stay strong by keeping your blood vessels healthy.
Adapted slightly from: Mix-and-Match Foil Packet Fish
- Tilapia, four 6-ounce skinless fillets
- 2 cups red potatoes, cut into small pieces and boiled
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes
- 2 springs fresh thyme
- 2 splashes white wine
- Kosher salt, pepper
- For the Smoky Red Pepper Oil:
- ¼ cup chopped roasted red peppers (or piquillo peppers)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 grated garlic clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- *You will need some heavy-duty tin foil.
- Make the Smoky Red Pepper Oil: Puree the roasted red peppers with the olive oil, sherry vinegar, smoked paprika, garlic clove and ¼ teaspoon each kosher salt and ground cumin until smooth.
- Lay out 2 large sheets of heavy-duty foil.
- Mound 2 cup vegetables in the center of each, season with salt and pepper and top with a sprig of thyme.
- Place the fish on top of the vegetables; season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
- Add a splash of white wine.
- Bring the short ends of the foil together and fold twice to seal; fold in the sides to seal, leaving room for steam.
- Grill or campfire method: Preheat a grill to medium high or light a campfire and put a cooking grate in place. Grill the foil packets until the fish is just cooked through, 12 minutes.
- Let the packets sit 5 minutes, then carefully open and drizzle with the pepper oil.
- Oven method: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the foil packets on a baking sheet; bake until the fish is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Let the packets sit 5 minutes, then carefully open and drizzle with the pepper oil.
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