Tilapia with sautéed Julianne of Vegetables

You can use your favorite fish fillets in this recipe; I liked the tilapia because it is a very light and delicate fish.

1/2 teaspoon peppercorns

1 whole clove, or ½ teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons sugar, I use splenda

3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons rum

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground ginger or 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves of finely minced fresh garlic

2 to 4 tilapia fillets

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

cook spray

1 tablespoons olive or peanut oil

1 cup julienne carrots

1 cup julienne red bell peppers

1 cup julienne celery

1 cup julienne onion or scallions or leeks

In a dry skillet, toast the peppercorn and clove over medium heat until puffs of smoke begin to appear, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and crush roughly.

In a small saucepan, simmer sugar, soy sauce, rum, lemon zest, and lemon juice over medium heat. Add the peppercorn/clove mixture, ginger, and garlic powder, and reduce by half.

Remove from heat, let cool. If you want a smooth sauce, strain it. Brush the fish fillets with the cooled marinade and let sit for 20 mins or so while you are cutting the vegetables.

Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Spray with cook spray. Season the fillets with salt and pepper. Spray the skillet with cook spray, and sauté the fillets for 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a platter. Add the oil to the skillet and sauté the julienned vegetables.

To plate, place the vegetables in the middle of the plate and place the fillets on the vegetables. I added steamed brown rice and drizzled with the remaining sauce.

This meal can be made in the oven too.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Sauté the fish for a minute on each side after sprinkling with the seasonings, place on beds of julianned vegetables and bake for 10 mins or so in the oven. I would only use this method if the oven was already on and I had space in that oven.