Tilapia with Sauteed Avocado Spaghetti

As promised . . .

Tilapia is an overlooked white fish. It is overlooked because it is cheap, and is usually sold frozen. Do not overlook this fish! When done right, it can be a very flavorful meal. When done wrong, it can be very "meh," although not as much as whiting (which gets just plain gummy).

4 Tilapia filets
2 Roma Tomatoes
6 oz Spaghetti
5 Pearl Onions
2 Avocados
Olive Oil (don't slouch)
Sea Salt
Pepper
Ginger

Start with the vegetable prep. You want a very sharp knife (like a Tojiro DP 8.25" Chef's Knife) to slice the tomatoes so you can see the beautiful, natural arrangement of flesh, seeds, and gel, without interruption by tears or gashes. You want at least 3 good tomatoes per filet, sliced at around 1/4", so this allows some room to screw up and to consume the rest with some light vinaigrette or sea salt. You choose. Once you get ~12 slices, set them aside, and lightly cover them with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

Halve the pearl onions, set aside.

With the avocados, most people skin them. I understand that, and if you want to, by all means, do it. It's tempting. But that course, their black skin is also a very interesting texture and flavor combination. I say leave it in.* You want to "score" around the core with your knife...basically circle it with your knife, long-wise, until you have two halves. Peel apart the halves, use a spoon to get the core out (if it didn't fall out), and season with salt/pepper/olive oil. Set aside.

Throw a pot of water on the burner, add salt, and boil. People think there's a science behind spaghetti. There isn't. Taste taste taste! Watch it, and it won't ever go bad. Think it's as easy as rice in a cooker, and it'll go wrong. Again, your choice.

In a saute pan, add ~3 tblspoons olive oil, and throw the avocados right in there, face down, over medium heat. Go on, do it. Does it defy logic? Maybe. But there is a method to this madness. Cover the pan, and let them cook until the greens have significantly lightened, usually around 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan, set aside, but keep the oil. Throw the onions in, caramelize, and remove. Keep the oil. Now, if you have a hot pan, you can add a bit more oil to get some more liquidity. Be very, very, very careful not to dilute.

Now I know what you're thinking--where's the freakin fish? Well, herein lies the beauty of tilapia--it literally cooks in under 7 mins. Vacuum pack the fish if it is not already vacuum packed, and throw it in a pot of simmering water. Check on it. Once it turns opaque, take it out. Do not worry about if it's done (at least at this juncture). As long as it's opaque, you're good to go. Remove the filets from the packs, put them on a plate under foil, and set aside. If you don't have a vacuum pack, put it in a foil bag, add some oil, and throw it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 7 minutes.

Throw the spaghetti in that pot of boiling water, and watch it. Again, watch the freaking spaghetti. Don't slouch. Once it is al dente ("to the tooth"), drain it, and throw it back in the pot. Remember that oil? Throw enough in there to coat the spaghetti. Slice the avocados, and throw them in there as well. And you might as well add the onions while you're at it, too. Keep turning and turning the spaghetti, coating it with all of those nice flavors. Movement is key. No burning, yet the flavors infuse. Do this for about ~5 mins, or until you can see the spaghetti darken. Take it off the heat, cover it, and set aside. The steam will help keep it warm, while the flavors will keep working on the spaghetti.

In a new pan, add oil, and fry the tomato slices; you want to lay the slices down in a clockwise fashion until all space is covered. If there is some overlap, be careful; you want them to maintain their shapes, but you want them to have a nice olive flavor. Add a pinch of ginger, too. Ginger + tomatoes is an absolutely great combo if you know the proper proportions. A pinch is just that. This should take all of 3 minutes on high heat. Quick quick quick!

In the rest of the oil (presuming you had enough; if you don't, add some to the old pan), take the fish darker side down (usually the side where the skin was) and sear it. This will cook it through, and it will add some nice avocado flavors to the fish. If it wasn't cooked through before, check for opaqueness; don't be scared to check it with a knife. Remove from the heat, and immediately plate. Add 3 slices to each piece, overlapping if need be. Next to the fish, add a small portion of spaghetti, and lay out three-four pieces of sliced avocado. The onion is not necessary for presentation (per se), but should be "within" the greater spaghetti aggregate.

And that's that. Is it complicated? Meh, not really, just a lot of simultaneous pans and such. But it is delicious. If you have any questions, let me know. I may update it from time to time for precision and efficiency purposes.

Enjoy.

*Note: about avocado skins; not many people eat them. If you choose not to eat it, that's fine. I ate it (and have eaten it) once it is cooked through, largely due to the contrast in texture. Some may be put off by it, but hey, the choice is yours. You should never be scared to try something. The only potential (and so far unsubstantiated) negative that I've seen about the skin is an enzyme that is prevalent in the whole of the avocado may be more prevalent in the skin, which could lead to possible food allergies with latex like foods (think bananas). Cooking it well should eliminate that. But again, the choice is yours. Try it!