# Lemon Thyme Tilapia



## civilsmoker (Mar 9, 2021)

Ok this is something I don’t usually post as it’s more of a regular meal but need to give props to the wife for this one.......

It started out with some of her home made lemon thyme vinaigrette she made the other day. She took a couple of tilapia cutlets and seasoned them with S&P and the covered them with some of her vinaigrette to marinate (about an hour)...






these went under the convection broiler for 10 min with a basting of 1/2 classic olive & her dressing @ the 7 min mark.....then out to rest for 10 is min....





just pics of the seared surface!





all smiles!





the plate was finished with a bed of jasmine rice for the tilapia then it was dressed with a lemon/ white wine sauce that my wife made up...she starts with shallots, garlic, white wine & butter and then adds flour for a roux then chicken stock to the right thickness. She also adds fresh herbs and such and then finishes with creme fraise and heavy cream.....holy smokes it’s the BOMB!!! It’s topped with pine nuts fresh chopped parsley and Asiago shavings!





This is pure fish money!





the salad is dressed with my wife’s dressing the fish was soaked in then topped with the same pine nuts and Asiago!  Oh and I added a few maters....





I know I said the pic above was money.......but this is really the money shot.....good money glistens!


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## DRKsmoking (Mar 9, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> need to give props to the wife for this one.......


Nice , the family that cooks together , is happy and full. LOL
very nice looking fish and great lookin fixens,   Tilapia is a good tasting white fish
David


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## MJB05615 (Mar 9, 2021)

That looks delicious.  Every bit of it is great.  Fish is perfectly cooked.  The fixins are excellent.  Great Family effort.


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 9, 2021)

Wow, looks delicious. Any detail available on the Lemon Dressing? I'm always interested in the variations people come up with...JJ


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## Steve H (Mar 10, 2021)

You're plated shots are amazing!  Though I utterly detest Tilapia.  I think this  would make a delicious meal with haddock or perhaps halibut . Can you please share the sauce recipe?


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## chopsaw (Mar 10, 2021)

That sure looks fantastic . Nice camera work too . The sauce sounds great .
Nice work . 


Steve H said:


> I utterly detest Tilapia.


I'm right there with ya .


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## smokerjim (Mar 10, 2021)

Looks fantastic!


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## JLeonard (Mar 10, 2021)

Looks good!
Jim


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## TNJAKE (Mar 10, 2021)

Man that looks amazing


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## Sowsage (Mar 10, 2021)

Man that looks delicious! Perfectly cooked!


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## Brokenhandle (Mar 10, 2021)

Congrats to your wife...she nailed it! Looks awesome!

Ryan


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## Wurstmeister (Mar 10, 2021)

That is a meal of tasty, flaky beautifulness!  I can taste the creaminess here. BTW - I hope you served the wife a chilled glass of champagne for all of the hard work she did. White wine isn't enough.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Mar 10, 2021)

Man if you could score the recipe from your wife on the lemon thyme vinaigrette and share it with us that would be great! Everything looks amazing. Got hungry just looking at it. Props to the ole lady!


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## civilsmoker (Mar 10, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> Wow, looks delicious. Any detail available on the Lemon Dressing? I'm always interested in the variations people come up with...JJ


Thanks JJ,

I will have to sweet talk wife into sharing or rather writing it down.  I know that she uses white wine vinegar, lemon juice, fresh thyme, classic olive oil, and I believe honey.......I will be real nice today to see if I can get a "rush" order! LOL



Steve H said:


> You're plated shots are amazing!  Though I utterly detest Tilapia.  I think this  would make a delicious meal with haddock or perhaps halibut . Can you please share the sauce recipe?


Thanks Steve.  I'm normally not a Tilapia person but these larger cutlets we got from Costco have me smiling about them again.

Oh it would be perfect for halibut or haddock!  As above, my honey do list will be getting longer because of that request for some written instructions.....



SmokinVOLfan said:


> View attachment 488537
> 
> 
> Man if you could score the recipe from your wife on the lemon thyme vinaigrette and share it with us that would be great! Everything looks amazing. Got hungry just looking at it. Props to the ole lady!



Thanks SVOL!  I will give her props.  She says she isn't a good cook on a regular basis and "trust me" I've tried to convince her otherwise.......she just says you eat it cause you love me.....Even so, when I shared with her this morning about the many requests for her recipe she looked and me and said "really"? As in why?


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## civilsmoker (Mar 10, 2021)

smokerjim said:


> Looks fantastic!


Thanks Jim!



TNJAKE said:


> Man that looks amazing


Thanks Jake, not a typical BBQ but non the less tasty for sure!



Sowsage said:


> Man that looks delicious! Perfectly cooked!


Many thanks Sowsage!  



Brokenhandle said:


> Congrats to your wife...she nailed it! Looks awesome!
> 
> Ryan


Thanks Ryan!  I will pass along the complements to the wife for sure! 



Wurstmeister said:


> That is a meal of tasty, flaky beautifulness!  I can taste the creaminess here. BTW - I hope you served the wife a chilled glass of champagne for all of the hard work she did. White wine isn't enough.



Thanks WMster!  Oh don't I know it! I'm a very lucky man!  I didn't get her any champagne, I bought her a new truck last month for her birthday....does that count?......And NO its not my truck, its her truck that she picked out all on her own and its currently in "my truck's" garage space till I'm done with some house remodel tasks.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 10, 2021)

DRKsmoking said:


> Nice , the family that cooks together , is happy and full. LOL
> very nice looking fish and great lookin fixens,   Tilapia is a good tasting white fish
> David


Thanks David!  As many know here, my whole family "works" in the kitchen and have since a young age!  It's also the reason my daughter comes over every weekend to stay and help cook and eat.  Its our family tradition!



chopsaw said:


> That sure looks fantastic . Nice camera work too . The sauce sounds great .
> Nice work .
> 
> I'm right there with ya .


Thanks Chop!  I've been rather busy these past months and have neglected the camera, but I'm working on being better and taking a few more pics these days!.....I'm missing taking x-fire fire pics :-(



MJB05615 said:


> That looks delicious.  Every bit of it is great.  Fish is perfectly cooked.  The fixins are excellent.  Great Family effort.



Thanks MJB!  This is something my wife and son came up with and I was on for the ride!  It sure helps having many capable hands in the kitchen to make a nice meal!


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## tx smoker (Mar 10, 2021)

Jeez Civil, I am at a loss for words. That is nothing short of beautiful and amazing. A truly superb meal and huge kudos to your wife. I'd love to sit down to a meal like that but I don't visit 5-star restaurants.

Robert


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## civilsmoker (Mar 11, 2021)

tx smoker said:


> Jeez Civil, I am at a loss for words. That is nothing short of beautiful and amazing. A truly superb meal and huge kudos to your wife. I'd love to sit down to a meal like that but I don't visit 5-star restaurants.
> 
> Robert



Many thanks Robert!!.....In reality, its a rather simple meal to make but tasty for sure.  I usually use a wire basket and put them on the grill, but I am a broiler fan for fish so in they went....bingo. 

PS, I'm still being extra nice to the wife so she will write the recipe down for me....LOL


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## rexster314 (Mar 11, 2021)

I'd ditch the tilapia and use any other white fish I could get. Snapper, flounder, even catfish.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 16, 2021)

rexster314 said:


> I'd ditch the tilapia and use any other white fish I could get. Snapper, flounder, even catfish.



my wife won’t eat catfish so that would be out but flounder or snapper would tasty!


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## civilsmoker (Mar 16, 2021)

OK I’ve been out of town for a couple of days and my wife apologized for taking so long but she was painting my shop!!!! Yes awesome!

So  my wife made the lemon thyme dressing tonight so she could write it down so here it is!

1/2C Extra Light Olive....NOT extra virgin.
3 Tbs each white wine vinegar, lemon juice, honey
1 tsp each lemon zest, fresh thyme 
1 Tbs Dijon 
1 garlic clove 
2 Tbs minced shallots
1/2 tsp kosher salt

all this is blended in a mini blender or the bullet cup on the ninja.

also she may adjust each a bit to dial in the flavor profile due to individual shallot and garlic flavors.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 16, 2021)

chef jimmyj


 Steve H


 chopsaw


 SmokinVOLfan


The requested recipe is above!


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 16, 2021)

That sounds Fabulous! I would not half thought to add the Shallots. Nice!  Big Hug and a Thank You to the Mrs. A half teaspoon of Oregano would make a killer Greek Dressing/Marinade...JJ

BTW...Stealing this to add to my recipes. Mrs. Civilsmoker's Lemon Dressing.


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## MJB05615 (Mar 16, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> OK I’ve been out of town for a couple of days and my wife apologized for taking so long but she was painting my shop!!!! Yes awesome!
> 
> So  my wife made the lemon thyme dressing tonight so she could write it down so here it is!
> 
> ...


Thanks Civil, copied it and gonna try next week.  Thank the Mrs. it is really appreciated.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 16, 2021)

chef jimmyj
 here is another one for ya.....

Red Wine Pomegranate Dressing

1/8c red wine vinegar
1/4c light olive
1/2 tsp Dijon
1tsp fresh chopped rosemary
3tbs pomegranate molasses
1tbs honey
1tbs minced shallots
S&P to taste.....

ps she is going to try it with oregano!


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## civilsmoker (Mar 16, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> Thanks Civil, copied it and gonna try next week.  Thank the Mrs. it is really appreciated.


Thanks MJB!  I passed along the thanks to the Mrs!  She is all blushed cause of the complements!!!!


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## chef jimmyj (Mar 17, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> chef jimmyj
> here is another one for ya.....
> 
> Red Wine Pomegranate Dressing
> ...



Sounds tasty. Now I have to track down Pomegranate Molasses.
I was looking over the Lemon Dressing when it occurred to me...Add a couple Anchovy Filets or a dash of Worcestershire and a couple Tablespoons Parm Reggiano Cheese, for a nice Caesar Salad Dressing.
Your Mrs. Is going to reduce Wishbone Profits with these getting out!☺...JJ


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## GonnaSmoke (Mar 17, 2021)

I've bookmarked the recipes, thanks....


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## civilsmoker (Mar 17, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> Sounds tasty. Now I have to track down Pomegranate Molasses.
> I was looking over the Lemon Dressing when it occurred to me...Add a couple Anchovy Filets or a dash of Worcestershire and a couple Tablespoons Parm Reggiano Cheese, for a nice Caesar Salad Dressing.
> Your Mrs. Is going to reduce Wishbone Profits with these getting out!☺...JJ



Hey what can I say but sorry Wishbone.......

I see similar stuff going into my wife's Caesar as well.  These days she seems to use anchovy paste more than filets because it tends to be consistent flavor wise though (we also don't have local access to the good filets she use to use).  Tonight she is going to put tarragon (vs thyme) and then sliced fenny in the cream sauce for the tilapia..... :-)


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## civilsmoker (Mar 17, 2021)

Ok here is version II:  the thyme is replaced with tarragon in the marinade.....






fingers crossed.....it sure was tasty before I put it on....

the change up this time was my wife made up some chicken veloute, which is a creamy white sauce base that is crazy good by its self! The recipe is out of the professional chef cookbook. It is made with chicken stock, leeks, parsnip, onion, celery, garlic and fresh herbs, flour is added with more stock  and then it is simmered and then screened out to just leave the velvety base.






Next some garlic, fennel, and sweet onions were sweated in butter and white wine,





Once translucent the veloute is added then it is smoothed out with creme fraiche, heavy cream and lemon zest.

the fish was broiled the same way....I wish I could add the smell to the post!





So round two was completed with some imported hand made linguini and a lemon thyme salad





same money just a different president.





Same texture but completely different flavor profile!





just a bomb salad!!!!





The tarragon, fennel and linguini really added a refined but refreshing flavor.  Doing a proper veloute also took the cream sauce to the next level good as well!


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## MJB05615 (Mar 17, 2021)

Wow, that looks every bit as good as the first one!  Nice work all around.  You changed just a few things and it's a different flavoring.  How long do you broil the Tilapia?


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## civilsmoker (Mar 17, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> Wow, that looks every bit as good as the first one!  Nice work all around.  You changed just a few things and it's a different flavoring.  How long do you broil the Tilapia?



thanks MJB!

It is broiled for 10-11 min on high. I turn it and brush a little extra marinade at 7 min. So I set my timer for 12 min cause the brush takes them out from the heat for a min and cools them down.   Then rest for 8 to 10 min.


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## MJB05615 (Mar 17, 2021)

Thanks Civil. I'm trying this in the next week.  I'll post some pics if it comes out good.


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## Brokenhandle (Mar 18, 2021)

That looks delicious as well! And yes, please add aromavision as well!

Ryan


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## civilsmoker (Mar 18, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> Thanks Civil. I'm trying this in the next week.  I'll post some pics if it comes out good.


Awesome, good luck and just word of advice, don't walk away from the oven when its broiling.  IE from the 6 min mark on be johny on the spot watching cause it can go from perfect to burnt toast in a few seconds.....



Brokenhandle said:


> That looks delicious as well! And yes, please add aromavision as well!
> 
> Ryan


Thanks Ryan, once I get my patent for aromavision I will be a professional smell sharer!....lol...


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## MJB05615 (Mar 18, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> Awesome, good luck and just word of advice, don't walk away from the oven when its broiling. IE from the 6 min mark on be johny on the spot watching cause it can go from perfect to burnt toast in a few seconds.....


Thanks for the advice.  I generally do walk away sometimes, but now I won't.  Burnt toast not a fav around here, lol.  Am I better of in a toaster oven broiler, or the full sized oven broiler?  New toaster oven broiler has specific broiler setting but much smaller than the house oven.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 18, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> Thanks for the advice.  I generally do walk away sometimes, but now I won't.  Burnt toast not a fav around here, lol.  Am I better of in a toaster oven broiler, or the full sized oven broiler?  New toaster oven broiler has specific broiler setting but much smaller than the house oven.


I would say it depends on how many you are doing.  If just a couple and its a really good toaster oven then it should work.  The only issue is that it may not get as hot and you want hot or as fast as you want.  I start my broiler on high for 1 min then put the fish in.  You want a cold oven because you don't want the fish to cook fast or sear to fast.  Oh and put a timer on because 11 -12 mins is impossible to judge without..... :-)


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## MJB05615 (Mar 18, 2021)

Good plan.  I'm doing 4 pieces, about a pound total weight.  Starting out small first time, Wife is very picky, and we have to see if she's gonna like it after the first few bites, lol.  Or I may have it all.  I already know I'm gonna like it.  I think the big oven is a better plan, and will get a higher temp faster.  Thanks.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 25, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> Good plan.  I'm doing 4 pieces, about a pound total weight.  Starting out small first time, Wife is very picky, and we have to see if she's gonna like it after the first few bites, lol.  Or I may have it all.  I already know I'm gonna like it.  I think the big oven is a better plan, and will get a higher temp faster.  Thanks.



Just wondering if you have tried this yet and to see how it turned out?


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## MJB05615 (Mar 25, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> Just wondering if you have tried this yet and to see how it turned out?


What a coincedence, I just did it last night.  I was gonna write to you eatlier, but had to work in the office today.  Came out delicious!  I used the big oven, and you were right about the final 3 minutes coming up on you fast, lol.  But I was very happy, and the flavor was unique and delicious.  The only thing from recipe I didn't have was the Lemon Zest, I forgot to get a lemon!  I had everything else.  Definitely going into my regular rotation, and thank your Wife for the recipe.  I thought about trying it with  Flounder next, but the tilapia was so tasty, why mess with excellence?


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## civilsmoker (Mar 25, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> What a coincedence, I just did it last night.  I was gonna write to you eatlier, but had to work in the office today.  Came out delicious!  I used the big oven, and you were right about the final 3 minutes coming up on you fast, lol.  But I was very happy, and the flavor was unique and delicious.  The only thing from recipe I didn't have was the Lemon Zest, I forgot to get a lemon!  I had everything else.  Definitely going into my regular rotation, and thank your Wife for the recipe.  I thought about trying it with  Flounder next, but the tilapia was so tasty, why mess with excellence?



Ah that's cause I could smell it!  Glad it turned out and I will pass the kudos onto the wife!  In my book tilapia was made for this and I don't see a reason to switch out for another fish!


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## MJB05615 (Mar 25, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> Ah that's cause I could smell it!  Glad it turned out and I will pass the kudos onto the wife!  In my book tilapia was made for this and I don't see a reason to switch out for another fish!


Yes, I agree.  After thinking about it, why risk it?  I'm gonna see if I can get fresh not frozen next week.  If not , frozen is plenty good.  I've been looking for a nice fish other than shrimp, and this does the trick perfectly.  Thanks again, Civil, I enjoy your simple Cole Slaw about every other week too.


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## civilsmoker (Mar 27, 2021)

You are welcome!


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