Teriyaki Mushroom Tilapia

Fish is so easy to prepare so it’s almost always my go-to dish when I don’t want to spend too much time making dinner. I just pop it in the oven with some kind of seasoning or sauce, or sear it for a few minutes and it’s ready.

I’m not very adventurous with fish, though. I tend to make salmon over and over again – I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of it! But my husband will.

He loves salmon, too. But my husband is originally from Israel and barely ate salmon growing up. Every time I make it he half jokingly says – “Is there no other fish in America except for salmon?” and then proceeds to enjoy his salmon.

So I thought I would venture out a bit and get creative with tilapia. My gosh, was he happy with dinner last night. Tender and flaky seared tilapia with flavorful teriyaki mushrooms.

Tilapia has a pretty mild flavor so it paired well with the strong taste of the teriyaki mushrooms.

Tilapia is an easy protein to make and also a great source of selenium and vitamin B12. Selenium is a mineral that protects cells from damage and has also been found to help guard against mercury toxicity.

Vitamin B12 is needed for cell formation, energy metabolism, and nerve function.

Most Americans do not eat enough fish, the current recommendation is 2 servings (3 ounces each) a week. So if you are not a big fish eater (or even if you are) and want to try something new – this recipe is for you!

Ingredients:

Tilapia:

• 4 Tilapia fillets, each fillet cut in half
• 2 tablespoons flavorless oil (canola or avocado oil)
• Pinch of salt and pepper

Teriyaki Mushrooms:

• 16 oz. package fresh white button mushrooms, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsps. lite soy sauce
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tbsps. water
• 2 tbsps. honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 frozen cube crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 teaspoons cold water
• 2 tbsps. olive oil

Directions:

Tilapia:

• Lay out the tilapia and season with a pinch of salt and pepper
• Heat the oil in a large pan over high to medium heat.
• Lay the tilapia in the pan once it is hot. Allow it to cook for about 4 minutes or until it starts to get a nice golden sear.
• Carefully flip with a spatula so that the fillet doesn’t break and sear another 3-4 minutes or until cooked through.
• Repeat with each fillet and set aside. *

Teriyaki Mushrooms:

• Place sliced mushrooms in a big pan and sauté over high heat until all the juice from the mushrooms has evaporated.
• Reduce to medium heat and add the soy sauce, red wine vinegar, water, honey, salt, and garlic and continue to cook until the liquid starts to come to a boil.
• In a separate cup stir together the cornstarch and cold water until cornstarch completely dissolved. Add to mushrooms and stir until the liquid starts to thicken. Add the olive oil and mix in.
• Pour mushrooms over tilapia and enjoy!

* Note: Even though a nice sear on the tilapia is recommended for optimal flavor, if you want  a shortcut or have no patience to sear it,  you can pop it in the oven on 425 degrees for 15 minutes. It will still taste great with the teriyaki mushrooms.