Tale of the Many Skillets

I love fish. Seriously. I will eat it prepared basically any way--baked, broiled, raw (mmmmsushisushisushi). We had some tilapia in the freezer, and I saw this recipe, and decided, what the heck? For those of you too lazy to click on the link, the recipe is billed as a 'healthy sweet and sour fish'. Now, I'm a tad nitpicky when people use the term healthy. Sure, the fish isn't deep fat fried before being doused in the sauce, but the sauce itself has lots of sugar--pick your poisons I guess, but if you're watching your sugar/calorie intake, I would suggest subbing splenda or just leaving out the additional sugar in the sauce.

Admittedly, I didn't look at the recipe super carefully when I started cooking, so let me say this: if you want to make this recipe, do all your mise en place (prep: chopping, cutting, etc) before you start cooking if you don't want to be running around your kitchen like you're in a ridiculous minute-to-win-it challenge. Let me also say, PinchofYum looooves her skillets. Every single step is a different large skillet and WHY DOES SHE THINK I HAVE SO MANY?! People don't hoard skillets like they hoard cats, do they? I used the same skillet for each step, and it was totally fine. One thing she does say is to drain excess liquid when you're browning the fish. I didn't do that, and the fish sort of steamed instead of fried, so...yeah. Drain, baby drain. Also, garlic chili sauce is my favorite new thing, and so I am grateful for this recipe for introducing me to it. Yay for impromptu purchases at Sprouts that turn out to be useful!

HEALTHY SWEET AND SOUR FISH

Author: Pinch of Yum

Serves: 8

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lbs. white fish filets such as tilapia
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper
• 2 yellow onions
• 2 red, yellow, and green peppers (each) (I used one of each and it was perfect)
• 2-3 cups fresh pineapple (I used a can of pineapple rings, chopped)
• ½ cup vinegar
• ⅓ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup pineapple juice (used the juice from the canned pineapple)
• ½ cup orange juice
• ¼ cup sweet chili garlic sauce (more to taste) (I actually used spicy garlic chili sauce and it turned out wonderful)
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• cooked brown rice
• sesame seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Fish: Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and mince 1 onion. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and saute for 1 minute. Add the fish and sprinkle with cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste. Cook, flipping occasionally and draining any excess liquid, for 5-10 minutes or until the pieces are golden brown on the outside and white all the way through. Set aside.

Notice the lovely not brownness of my fish. Next time I shall drain the liquid.

Vegetables: Chop the bell peppers and 1 onion into bite-sized pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet and saute the peppers and onions for 5-10 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and tender-crisp. Chop the pineapple into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan, cooking for another few minutes. Set aside.

Interestingly, Hubby said he could have done without the pineapple in the chopped veggies portion, although the juice adds a lot to the sauce. So, use at your own preference, discretion.

Sauce: Combine the vinegar, ketchup, sugar, salt, pineapple juice, orange juice, and sweet chili garlic sauce in a large skillet over medium low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Whisk the cornstarch into a few tablespoons of water until smooth. Add to the sauce in the skillet and bring to a low boil. Cook for a few more minutes until the sauce is thickened.

Ok, I'll say it--at this point, the sauce kind of looks...pukey. Let it simmer and reduce, and I promise it looks better after you add the cornstarch.

Combine the fish, vegetables, and sauce in a large pan or bowl. Serve over brown rice or quinoa (I did quinoa--super good!) and enjoy!

Peace and jalapenos,

Dalia