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27
May
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Banana-Curry Tilapia |
Bringing a new person into a family via marriage is not an easy task for everyone. I really do feel for those whose parents do not accept their spouse, or who are not accepted as family by their in-laws for apparently no good reason. But there’s also the extreme opposite scenario: sometimes my parents seem to favor my husband over me!
The past few months we’ve all been waiting anxiously to find out whether my youngest brother will be transferring next semester to my husband’s alma mater. (*AHEM* it happens to be MY alma mater too!) Truthfully we all want what’s best for my brother and transferring will be a great move for him, but we are selfish too. We all hope that he is accepted so that we can visit him and go eat at Judie’s. Why? Because Judie’s just might be the best thing about Ben’s (and my) college town.
It was my mother who called to tell me that the wait was over. Her choice of words was rather interesting. “Guess what?” she said. “What?” I asked. “You can tell BEN that pretty soon he can go visit Matt and go eat popovers and lamb shanks. He’ll be so excited!” (The first is what Judie’s is best known for. The latter is Ben’s favorite dish to order there.)
Funny how her first thought was about my husband being able to visit my brother at school. Not about how excited my brother was and what a nice achievement this is. And not about his beloved SisterBear (yes, he still calls me that!) visiting and going to MY favorite restaurant too.
Oh well. I guess I’m just chopped liver. I’m sure I’ll tag along with Ben at some point when he inevitably goes to visit my brother and eats at Judie’s, but in the meantime, I’m using my favorite salad there as inspiration for this dish.
The salad is a curried chicken salad with bananas, almonds, coconut, raisins, and peanuts. I didn’t manage to cram all of that in here, but I did take the most important parts: banana and coconut. If you can’t imagine banana and curry being good together, just go ahead and give it a shot. You won’t waste a lot of time or effort since this is one of the easiest meals to throw together, but I promise you will get more than you bargained for in flavor.
Banana-Curry Baked Tilapia
Printable Recipe
4 tilapia filets, 4 oz each (or other mild white fish)
1 large banana
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 large scallions, sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
juice from 1/2 lime
dash of cinnamon
sweetener to taste, optional*
2 tablespoons shredded coconut
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
Preheat oven to 375. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place the pieces of tilapia on the foil and season with salt and pepper.
Combine remaining ingredients, except for shredded coconut, in a blender and process until smooth. Pour evenly over the tilapia.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
Meanwhile, toast the coconut in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until golden brown.
Garnish the fish with the toasted coconut and cilantro before serving.
*Sweetening is optional, depending on your taste and how sweet your banana is. I used half of a packet of Truvia in this batch.
Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 186.0
Total Fat: 5.1 g
Cholesterol: 50.0 mg
Sodium: 39.8 mg
Total Carbs: 11.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 1.6 g
Protein: 23.8 g
I'm Cara, lover of creative, clean food and healthy living. Pumpkin, goat cheese, and eggplant make me swoon. I have an insatiable sweet tooth and desire to lift heavy things. 
Elina — May 27, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
Hehe, that's funny. I think my parents like my husband more sometimes too.Banana curry? Really? It freaks me out and excites me at the same time. Adam doesn't like coconut so I hope I can make it one night just for myself. I'm saving it anyways. So funky.
Elina — May 27, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
Oh and I'm hosting an oikos giveaway btw. Check it out 🙂
Dawn — May 27, 2010 @ 2:07 pm
Shoot just wait…if you guys end up having kids it will be all about them. I'm an only child and my mom is all about the baby now. LOL! Cara…this dish looks so amazing. I wish my hubby would like fruits with his protien. It would open up so many more options for me. He'll be out of town on a golf trip next week so I will try this one.
AMY — May 27, 2010 @ 3:10 pm
just want everyone to know, Cara, you are not chopped liver! I knew you would be just as excited about your younger brothers achievement as Ben and would be looking forward to going back to Amherst to visit.You are always #1 daughter in my book.
Barbara — May 27, 2010 @ 5:13 pm
Love banana in curry, Cara! Definitely going to try this…I have fish several times a week!Trust me when I say your parents adore you and you should feel really flattered that they love your choice in a hubby too!
Tasha — May 27, 2010 @ 5:27 pm
I am so intrigued by this recipe. I would've never thought of banana with curry and fish, but I think my family would love it- especially my 2 year old! I can not find wild caught tilapia around here- do you have a suggestion as to what other fish might work with these flavors well?
Cara — May 27, 2010 @ 5:29 pm
Tasha, how about mahi or haddock? or grouper maybe?
preventionrd.com — May 27, 2010 @ 7:08 pm
I wish my brother went to my alma mater!!The curry looks wonderful! I love the addition to banana – how unique!
Joanne — May 27, 2010 @ 11:57 pm
It's so cute how tight-knit your family is! I hope my parents embrace my future husband as much as yours do. It's pretty hard to get my brother's seal of approval.This dish is so unique! I am SO bookmarking it.
grace — May 28, 2010 @ 10:43 am
aw, sisterbear. that's adorable. and hey–if prepared correctly, chopped liver ain't half bad! :)this is a truly eclectic and interesting dish, cara. thanks for the share!
Liz — May 28, 2010 @ 3:51 pm
Hahaha, my parents also favor my husband over me! That banana curry sounds really interesting, I'm trying to think what vegetables would work instead of fish — maybe potatoes?
Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga) — May 28, 2010 @ 9:53 pm
oh this would be SUCH a great way to jazz up tilapia. About 8-10 yrs ago I used to make tilapia all the time. And it's very ahem. bland. If you dont jazz it up.HAVE A great Weekend CARA!!!!!! Enjoy your time away and do not worry about blogging/pre-scheduling. Truly don't worry about it. I went thru that for many of my trips and people do understand that we all have lives off the blog :)xo
Shannon — May 30, 2010 @ 2:35 am
wow, i'm loving the banana addition! sounds fabulous, and i must try it sometime :()
Shannon — May 30, 2010 @ 2:35 am
(that was meant to be a smile!)
Kevin — June 5, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
I really like the use of the banana in this!
Kevin — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am
I really like the use of the banana in this!
preventionrd.com — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am
I wish my brother went to my alma mater!!The curry looks wonderful! I love the addition to banana – how unique!
AMY — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am
just want everyone to know, Cara, you are not chopped liver! I knew you would be just as excited about your younger brothers achievement as Ben and would be looking forward to going back to Amherst to visit.You are always #1 daughter in my book.
Dawn — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am
Shoot just wait…if you guys end up having kids it will be all about them. I'm an only child and my mom is all about the baby now. LOL! Cara…this dish looks so amazing. I wish my hubby would like fruits with his protien. It would open up so many more options for me. He'll be out of town on a golf trip next week so I will try this one.
Elina — April 5, 2011 @ 1:24 am
Oh and I'm hosting an oikos giveaway btw. Check it out 🙂