This chili lime tilapia with kale is a quick and healthy meal that can be ready in just 20 minutes. Meals like this are my go to recipes when I am in a hurry or do not feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen. Chili lime tilapia is easy to make and is nice enough for company. Here’s how I made it:
First, put your kale in a steamer pot, and steam until tender, about 15 – 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper. You can use whole fresh kale, but you will need to remove the leaves from the stems. These days, you can purchase large bags of fresh kale that already have the stems removed and is ready to cook. While kale steams, dry 4 large tilapia fillets with a paper towel. Sprinkle both sides of each tilapia fillet with salt and pepper and sprinkle chili powder and garlic all over both sides of each fillet.
Place two tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and heat to medium high. Once oil is hot, add as many fillets as you can to the pan and fry 2 – 3 minutes on each side until fish flakes with a fork. The fillets I had were large so I cooked two at a time and when they were done, placed them in a 200 degree oven on a foil lined baking sheet to keep warm while I cooked the other two.
You want to have each side of the tilapia well browned but not burned, to bring out the flavor of the chili powder. When fish is done, squeeze with fresh lime and serve with kale and lime wedges.
This healthy lunch or dinner comes together quickly and is easy to prepare making eating healthy a cinch. Tilapia is a mild white flaky fish that is rumored to have been mentioned in the bible as one of the fish caught by St. Peter in the Sea of Galilee. Tilapia is also great in fish tacos. Enjoy and happy cooking!
Prep Time: 5 min. Cooking Time: 15 – 20 min.
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4 large tilapia fillets
2 limes quartered
1 pound kale without stems or baby kale (it cooks down)
Chili powder
Garlic powder
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil