This Easy Tilapia Recipe with Cilantro and Lime is ready in under 30 minutes and perfect for a weeknight. A little taste of the Southwest at your dinner table!
Today I am bringing you a life lesson.
And that is this: If you food blog, don’t plan to eat the food that you are photographing as soon as the shoot is done. Especially on an empty stomach.
You know what that leads to? Rushing.
Rushing = forgetting things that you SPECIFICALLY went to the grocery store RIGHT before the shoot just to have for the pictures. Perfect little bright green lime, I am looking at you.
Yep. I went out and spent 10000 years picking the most perfect lime eva, since this is cilantro LIME tilapia, and then my hunger got the best of me and I FORGOT THE LIME.
So now I’m sitting here looking at these pictures and being annoyed because that little colorful fruit would have made the perfect touch. Not that I’m bitter or anything.
Can you just do me a favour and use your lovely imaginations and pretend that it’s there, and this doesn’t look like boring “cilantro-only” tilapia? Thanks peeps.
So, this easy peasy limey-squeezy (too much?) dinner is one that I actually eat on a very regular basis. And by regular I mean 2-3 times/ week, along with my favorite vegan coconut curry and mango chicken with coconut cauliflower rice. and It’s THAT good and THAT easy. It’s my go-to-I-just-got-home-from-work-and-I-dunno-what-to-eat-so-cilantro-lime-tilapia-it-is dinner. Although, sometimes I switch the toppings up and make this Peanut Lime Tilapia instead. I live life on the edge guys.
So there me and the hubs are – He’s eating his morning healthy cinnamon roll protein oatmeal (since he works graveyards, dinner time is breakfast time and he doesn’t enjoy ocean dwellers for breakfast) and I’m eating fish. It’s a weird little picture. But, we’re a weird little couple. Emphasis on the little…I’m 5’2 and he’s 5’6. Everyone say “Awwww.”
Now that we’ve got that out of the way…let’s talk about fish. Do you like it? Do you think it’s the chicken of the sea? Are you anti Ocean Swimmies? Personally, I adore the little blubsters. Sidenote: “blubsters” because fish say “blub blub.” I once had a fish named “Blubby.” I’m super creative like that.
Anyway, if you’re in the anti ocean swimmies camp, you could totally just use chicken breast. And, if you don’t like spicy foods, just omit the srirarcha…it’s that easy to customize this recipe to fit whatever makes your taste buds do this: 🙂
And, if you don’t like lime, well….apparently my subconscious doesn’t either. So, you’re golden.
I’ll get over it one day.
For step-by-step instruction of this recipe, watch my video tutorial below:
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Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Uncooked quinoa
- 1 Cup Water
- 2 Tilapia fillets (3.5 oz each)
- Pinch of smoked paprika
- 2/3 Cup Frozen corn kernels thawed
- 3 Tbsp Lime juice
- 1/2 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Onion powder
- 1/4 Cup Cilantro roughly chopped
- Salt/pepper to taste.
- Sriracha for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In alarge pot, bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Once boiling, stir in the quinoa, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until all the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
- While the quinoa cooks, spray alarge panwith cooking spray and heat over medium/high.
- Sprinkle each side of the tilapia fillets with smoked paprika and cook until white and flaky, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cover and set aside until the quinoa is ready.
- Toss the cooked quinoa with the corn, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder and cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Divide the quinoa between two plates and top with tilapia fillets. Drizzle on sriracha is desired.
- DEVOUR
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
FOR THIS RECIPE, I RECOMMEND:
(Per 1 serving)
Want more seafood? Try these out!
Paleo Macadamia Crusted Mahi Mahi
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Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
The lime thing has happened to me lots of times too and it’s so annoying indeed ahh :–( Your pictures do look lovely though. And so does the dish – it sounds super yummy!
Taylor Kiser says
Well thank you lovely lady! Happy Friday! 🙂
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
Ha! You are too funny about the lime…the photos look GORGEOUS even without the lime 🙂 but as a food blogger this happens to me all the time!
Taylor Kiser says
Isn’t it the worst?! Thanks a million lovely lady…happy Monday to you!
Kristine says
My husband made this for dinner tonight (I hunt blogs for things to try, he does the cooking) and it was fantastic! We didn’t have smoked paprika so he used Penzy’s Singapore Seasoning and a little garlic powder.
Taylor Kiser says
So funny, I literally JUST finished eating it too! I am SO glad that you liked it! YAY! Your seasoning sounds great too! 🙂 Thanks for trying it out…and it’s so cute you guys have a little team going! Love it! 🙂
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
It looks delicious, Taylor. Even without your lime! I’ve done that too…it’s frustrating, isn’t it?! I pinned it, because I am going to make this. We need to start eating more fish!
Taylor Kiser says
SO annoying! Glad someone can sympathize! Thanks Michelle, I hope you love it! Please let me know! 🙂
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
This absolutely delicious Taylor! Totally pinning this and need to make this asap!
Taylor Kiser says
Thank you lady! you would LOVE it!
Hannah says
I like this recipe a lot, but I’m curious about your peanut lime tilapia and the link won’t work for me. Got another one? 🙂
Taylor Kiser says
Hi Hannah. As far as the Peanut Lime Recipe goes, I actually took it down. it was one of my VERY first recipes, back when i didn’t really know much about recipe development and it’s not the best recipe ever! Sorry! Glad you like this one though!
Rachel says
This recipe is excellent! I have made it twice and my family and I loved it. However, I had to use sole fish and Dory instead of tilapia because it was the only thing I had in the fridge that time. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Taylor Kiser says
I’ve made it with sole before! I’ve never tried Dory though! I am so glad you and your family love it! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Jeska says
Hey, Hun. I know I’m 2 years late, but would you happen to know how many calories this meal is? Thanks so much in advance!
Taylor Kiser says
Hi Jeska!
This recipe was created long before I started adding nutritional information to recipes, but feel free to plug it into something like myfitnesspal.com and it will tell you! Thanks!
Roshani says
Great recipe, perfect for mixing up a picnic a little, it is nice to have something different to eat !!
Taylor Kiser says
So glad you like it!
Sheri says
So I honed in on this recipe because I knew I had all the ingredients. Got the quinoa cooking then started pulling out everything else. But the limes…where were the limes? Searched the front fridge, the back fridge, and then gave up and used lemon juice. As I was putting stuff back, all of a sudden I caught a glimpse of green in an unusual place. Sure enough, the limes I knew I had decided to make a late entrance to my party. I went ahead and cut one in half and squeezed it on top of the dish, so I guess my tilapia is with cilantro and Sprite! Delicious and easy…something I will make again…the right way next time!
Taylor Kiser says
Haha @ cilantro and sprite! But I am so glad you liked it either way!