Description
Replace white breadcrumbs in breading with pistachios, which add fiber, protein and a delicious, savory crunch. To chop the nuts quickly, place them in a repurposed plastic produce bag on a cutting board and smash them with a mallet or rolling pin.
Ingredients
For the tilapia:
1 large egg
1/4 cup (4g) finely chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup (62 g) finely chopped pistachios
1 teaspoon (13 g) ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (455 g) tilapia fillets, cut into at least 4 portions
For the sauce:
1/4 cup (60g) avocado oil mayonnaise
1 teaspoon (5ml) lime juice
1 pinch chili powder
1 pinch salt
For serving:
Lime wedges
Instructions
To Make the Tilapia:
Preheat oven to 425 F (220C or gas mark 7). Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Whisk eggs, cilantro, mustard, and 1 teaspoon (5ml) of water together in a shallow dish. In another dish, combine pistachios, cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, salt and pepper. Dip fish in egg mixture, coating on both sides, and then coat fish well in breading. Place fish on pan with rounded side up. Bake for 14 minutes until golden on the outside and opaque and slightly firm in the center.
To Make the Sauce: Blend all sauce ingredients. Serve the fish with the sauce and lime wedges.
Go Clean
Choose U.S. farm-raised tilapia, which is low in contaminants and is produced with eco-friendlier practices than those of Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Besides being green in color, pistachios are green for the environment. Approximately 1 ounce (28g) of pistachios provides about the same amount of protein as 1 ounce (28g) of raw red meat, using only a tiny fraction of the food fuel required to produce it. For a smaller carbon footprint, look for pistachios originating closer to home, instead of those from across the globe.
Notes
No-shell pistachios are now widely available in grocery stores – a big time saver for recipes.
I'm a chef nutritionist, not the food police. I eat cookies but make sure to eat my broccoli too.
