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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Sommer @ASpicyPerspective says
I love how easy and quick this complete dish is! Perfect for those busy weeknights or even on the weekend after running the kiddos to weekend games! I see the limes right there to the right..you don’t? 😉
Taylor Kiser says
Thanks so much Sommer!…and OH YA, there it is! Good eye girlfriend 😉
Erin | The Emerging Foodie says
Yum! Have I ever told you how I dislike all types of fish and seafood? Oops. But I’ve heard tilapia is super mild and, well, when it’s covered in lime and cilantro I think I could handle this happily. I just miiiiight have to give it a try. 😉
Taylor Kiser says
YOU HATE FISH?! Friendship over.
Just kidding
Try it. I think you’ll like it 😉
Meagan @ A Zesty Bite says
I love everything in this dish. Great recipe!
Taylor Kiser says
Thank ya Meagan!
Vicky says
This sounds delicious! Hah know exactly what you mean about leaving something out of the photos and then kicking yourself for it! Don’t worry my imagination photoshopped the lime into the shot. : ) I haven’t had tilapia in forever so hopefully will be able to find some in Malaysia (where I’m renting an apt for the month) so I can give this a whirl!
Taylor Kiser says
You and your imagination are my favorite and I thank you x 1 million!
SO COOL that you’re in Malaysia! Do you love it? I bet you are eating some amazing food, even if you can’t find tilapia!
Vicky says
Malaysia is really nice and the food here is delicious – though I’ve been cooking up a storm so not sampling the local delicacies as often as I would like (my boyfriend and I have been traveling around Asia and Europe for the last 1.5 years so are just trying to slow down here in Malaysia and catch up on cooking — which I miss so much when we are traveling fast and having to eat out for every meal)! Happy to come across your blog though and look forward to your future recipes!
Taylor Kiser says
You are seriously living my dream live Vicky! 1.5 years of travelling! SO COOL! 🙂
Thanks for your sweet words, I hope that you are having the best Wednesday eva!
Kelly - LEFT SIDE OF THE TABLE says
Ohhh does your lesson hit home with me 😉 SO frustrating when you forget something. I think we just have to write stuff down! This recipe looks great though…cilantro and lime sounds perfect. and all over quinoa…Pinned. Thanks for sharing my dear!
Taylor Kiser says
Ohhh writing down things I want to include is a great idea, you brilliant, beautiful lady! Thanks for all your sweet comments and pins Kelly!
Chelsea @chelseasmessyapron says
Oh man isn’t that the worst?! I do that ALL the time. Totally rushing through shoots (usually the baby haha) and forget something specifically I wanted in it! This still looks perfect though! Love cilantro and lime together – pinned!
Taylor Kiser says
Haha, I wish I had a baby as an excuse….I’m just hungry haha! Thanks for the pin lovely lady!
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum! says
You got me! I am one of those anti ocean swimmies camp people, but have been trying to change that. It was my resolutions this year to learn to like fish and I figured out that Tilapia is actually pretty good. It’s the only fish I’ve cooked so far and I cannot wait to try your recipe. Lime or not, this recipe looks and sounds absolutely mouthwatering!!
Taylor Kiser says
Tilapia is SUPER mild and a great “starter” fish! Thanks Kathi, I hope that you like the ocean swimmy! 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
Oh my goodness, I HATE when I forget to put something in the picture! The worst. Actually, the worst might be when I lose the recipe I wrote down on a scrap piece of paper. I need to get more organized about where I write down my exact measurements.
This fish sounds delicious. I’m a major fish lover. I just made some last night! Love the mexican flavors in this dish. I almost want to the leftovers and flake it and put it in a taco. Yum!
Taylor Kiser says
Losing the recipe is the worst! I have a notebook that I write them in. Except I write so fast or spill an ingredient on it…annnddd then I can’t even read it hahaha!
OHH a taco! Totally doing that!
Thanks girl 🙂
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan says
Tilapia is one of my all time favs! I am so glad you posted this instead of spending another 10000 years going back to the store for that lime, even without the lime – your pictures look GORGEOUS – Drool worthy – Screen lickable – totally yumsiferous – you get the picture! No pun intended!
Taylor Kiser says
Thank you Shashi! You’re always the sweetest!
I definitely lol’d at the no pun intended! Happy Wednesday 🙂
Stephanie @ Girl Versus Dough says
Oh yes, I have done this exact same thing. SO frustrating. The good news is no one else notices but you. As in, I was already drooling over the photos of this dish before you mentioned the lack of lime. And then I continued to drool over them even after you mentioned it. 😉
Taylor Kiser says
Haha well I guess I shoudn’t have pointed it out then 😉 Thanks Stephanie!