Pan Seared Tilapia with Pork Chorizo & Tomato Cream Sauce
The robust and pleasantly creamy Cacique® Pork Chorizo is earthy and rich with traditional spices and herbs. A natural pairing for potatoes and eggs, but it is also perfectly paired with simple fish like tilapia. The smoky, spiced chorizo is a great way to give your seafood some added flavor.
But you say, “I haven’t got time to cook fish at home.” Nonsense, the best part of this recipe is that this meal can be on the table in 30 minutes or less. Read it through and you’ll see that with minimal prep and a couple pans, you can have your family fed and happy in no time at all.
This recipe has three parts: chorizo stuffing, tomato cream sauce and the fish. Here I used red onions, Mexican squash, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes, but feel free to mix it up with whatever vegetables you have on hand. Mushrooms, potatoes and even eggplant works really well, too. The tomato cream sauce is a snap to put together because it is basically sautéed onions, tomato sauce, broth and silky smooth Cacique® Crema Mexicana that comes together in 5 minutes. The Crema Mexicana is buttery-rich Grade A table cream, with a velvety mouthfeel and fresh milk taste – perfect for quick sauces like this. The fish also cooks in mere minutes, so yes, you can have a rich, filling and gourmet meal ready in less than half an hour.
“But I don’t like tilapia.” Well, odds are you have some frozen fish fillets in the back of your freezer. This recipe will work with those as well, tilapia or not, but just make sure you know where your fish comes from for peace-of-mind. Cod and even halibut are great substitutions.
And for that finicky fish hater in your family, simply mix the chorizo filling with quinoa and stuff into a hollowed out bell pepper. If you have leftovers, the chorizo filling will be great on some avocado toast or a quick breakfast hash.
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WHAT YOU NEED
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 large squash, diced
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 (9 ounce) package Cacique® Pork Chorizo
- 1 cup diced white onions
- 1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1/2 cup Cacique® Crema Mexicana
- 4 whole tilapia fillets
HOW TO MAKE IT
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the red onions, squash, bell pepper and tomatoes and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables just start to soften. Add the chorizo, stir to combine, and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drain off any excess fat and reserve your chorizo stuffing.
- Meanwhile make your sauce: In a medium pot, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautee your onions until they just become translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken stock and simmer for 2 minutes. Quickly whisk in Cacique® Crema Mexicana and turn off the heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse in a blender until smooth. Reserve.
- Just before serving, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Sear the tilapia on one side for about 3-4 minutes, until it browns slightly and is mostly cooked through. Flip and cook for 1 minute more before plating.
- To serve, divide the chorizo filling between 4 plates. Place the tilapia fillets over, and gently envelope the filling, as if you were stuffing it. Divide the tomato cream sauce between the plates by simply spooning it on the plate or ladling it over the tilapia.
