Tilapia with lemon butter sriracha sauce

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I love figuring out dishes that toss the main and sides together and leave me with complete-dinner boxes I can freeze. I took a sauce idea from a salmon dish I cook pretty often and reorganized some steps to end up with essentially a pan seared tilapis sauteed with brown rice and veggies.

Due to issues about standing for very long I often divide cooking tasks into parts so I never stand too long at once. I often make the batch of brown rice a day ahead. Then earlier in the day I’m making it I make the sauce, mince the garlic, and cut the butter in pieces.

Tilapia with Lemon Butter Sriracha Sauce

  • 2 large tilapia filets, with salt and pepper on outside
  • 2-3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/8-1/4 stick butter
  • 1/2 pound frozen mixed veggies (or veggie of choice)
  • 10-12 ounces of fresh chopped baby spinach or kale (I run through slicer plate of food processor instead of chopping)
  • precook one batch of brown rice (1 cup rice, 2 cups water)
  • Sauce:
  • 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1-2 T sriracha sauce (depends on how much heat you want or can take
  • 1 lemon juiced (you want at least 2 T) — cut the remaining lemon into pieces after juicing

Make sauce ahead and refrigerate. Heat olive oil in skillet and add one clove of garlic, distributing so each piece of tilapia will be over half of it. Add salted/peppered tilapia filets. Cook for 3 minutes on one side, flip, cook 3 minutes on the other They’re slightly underdone but they’re going to cook a little more.

Remove tilapia from skillet, put on plate. Add a little more EVOO if needed and put in the remaining 2 cloves of garlic and the lemon pieces. After a minute or 2 of stirring those around, add the butter. While it’s melting, cut up the tilapia. Then add the mixed veggies, stirring well with butter and garlic. After 2 minutes, stir in spinach. When it is halfway wilted, add brown rice and stir well with the rest. Then pour sauce over and stir well. Finally add the cut-up tilapia and stir until everything is well mixed and hot. Remove the pieces of lemon and pitch. You’re ready to start serving.

You can vary the veggies and use more of either type if you wish. This amount of sauce is enough to nicely add the flavors throughout the dish. If you like things saucier I’d say add at least 50% more or double it.

This makes 5-6 pretty good size servings. It freezes well and is easy to defrost and reheat. Also lasts well in fridge for a few days.

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