Tilapia with Blackeye Peas Relish

Tilapia with Blackeye Peas Relish

Ingredients:

For the Tilapia:

• 1 lb. tilapia fillets

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• salt and pepper to taste

For the Relish:

• 2 cups cooked black-eye peas

• 1 celery stalk, finely diced

• 1/3 cup finely diced sweet pepper (red, yellow, orange or green)

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 cup quartered cherry or grape tomato

• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

• 1/8 to 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 tbsp rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice + more for fish

• zest of 1 lemon

• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté celery and sweet pepper for 3 minutes. Add black-eye peas and cook 2 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat.

2. Transfer black-eye peas to a large bowl. Add tomato, parsley, pepper flakes, vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon remaining oil, lemon juice and zest. Stir to combine; season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.

3. Season tilapia fillets with salt and pepper. Using the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Place 2 fillets in the hot oil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once.

4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and continue cooking the rest of the fillets.

5. Drizzle cooked fish with some lemon juice and serve with the relish.

Yields: 4 servings

Notes&Tips:

• Black-eye Peas Relish transforms this simple Tilapia fillet into a gourmet dish. Eat alone with a slice of artisan bread or garlic bread, or serve with some seasonal vegetables and or salad.

• This Tilapia with Black-eye Peas Relish is a dish that you will want to savor week after week. If you're not a fan of tilapia, substitute your favorite white fish: cod, haddock, halibut or sole.

• Growing up in Guyana, I ate a lot of black-eye peas. And to this day, I enjoy eating it. It is one of my favorite type of beans. Black-eye peas are high in protein and complex carbs. They also are a good source of calcium, fiber, iron, Vitamins A and K, magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese and folate. They also contain antioxidants like flavonoids which help the body fight disease.

• To cook dried black-eye peas: place peas in a large bowl, add enough water to cover peas 4 inches above the level of the peas. Cover and leave for 8 hours or overnight. Discard water that peas has been soaked in and rinse. Place in a large pot, fill with water to cover 4 inches above peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour; until black-eye peas are tender. Use as needed.