Steamed Tilapia in foil

What I love about this Steamed Tilapia in foil is how a simple marinade made with cilantro can become a quick weeknight meal. This easy-dinner Mexican recipe is low-fat, a great source of protein, and a delicious option if you have a medically restrictive diet.   I like to steam this tilapia fillet in cilantro sauce but I also give you instructions to make it in the oven if you prefer baked tilapia or make it on the stovetop by placing the fish foil packet meals on a grill.

I love to buy the frozen tilapia fillets at Costco, they are delicious and taste very fresh after thawing them but you could use fresh tilapia. You can use this same tilapia recipe to give flavor and cook a whole fish. What I love about tilapia is that it has a mild flavor is perfect for people who are not that much into seafood, especially children.

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How to thaw tilapia fillet

• The safest way to keep a moist fish after unfreezing is to place them in a container in the refrigerator overnight, that way it will unfreeze at a controlled temperature.
• If you are in a rush fill up a large container with water and submerge the tilapia in it. The water must be at room temperature. Do not use hot water as it will make your tilapia lose moisture and will lose flavor. Change the water a couple of times to accelerate the process. 

Ingredients for 4 tilapia filets

• 4 fish fillets
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 garlic clove you can substitute for 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder.
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 onion for the sauce
• 1/2 sliced onion
• 1 sliced tomato
• 1 sedded sliced jalapeno
• foil packets or aluminum foil

How to make steamed tilapia in foil

• Start by placing in the blender the garlic clove, 1/2 cilantro, 1/4 onion, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until liquified.

• Place the fillets in a container and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Cover with the marinade.

• Cut a piece of foil and place the piece of fish in the middle. Rinse with some marinade, add slices of onion, tomato, and jalapeno to taste, and add some salt on top as well as a couple of branches of cilantro. Cover with another piece of aluminum and fold foil twice on the edges so the marinade can stay inside while cooking or use foil packs if you have.

• Place water in the steamer and allow to boil. Add the tilapia inside the steamer, cover, and allow to cook 15-20 minutes.

Cooking fish in the oven

• Place the fish in a baking dish, add the marinade and the slices of fresh vegetables on top along with some cilantro branches and some salt. 

• Cover the container with foil paper and wrap it well so the seat can stay inside while cooking. If preferred you can use an aluminum sealed packet and cook individually each fillet placing them all on a baking sheet.

• Set the oven to 350 f and cook for 15-20 minutes. Cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of your fish, if you have thin fillets it might be ready between 12-15 minutes. 

Can I use a different kind of fish?

To substitute tilapia you will want a mild flavor fish, here are some flaky white fish options:

• cod 
• flounder,
• pollock
• haddock
• basa

For a complete meal, you can serve it with fresh veggies, steamed green beans, arroz con vegetales (Mexican white rice with veggies or Arroz Primavera). If you want an extra kick of flavor you can add lemon juice on top after is cooked. You know what’s the best part of this easy dinner?  forget about big mess! the amazing part of this is how easy cleanup 

​Have you ever tasted agua chiles or coctel de camaron? Check out my other Mexican seafood recipes!