Tilapia with Eggplant and tomato salad (Fish Inasal) or Inasal na Tilapia for Filipinos

Recipe Yield: Servings for two

Ingredients:
2 fillets of Tilapia fish
1 finger sized ginger, coarsely chopped
1/8 med. sized white onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1  tsp. chopped lemon grass
1/2 tsp. fish sauce
1 tsp. Olive oil
1 med. sized tomato, cut in half and cored and seeded
1/4 piece of a Chinese eggplant, cut in half length-wise
1  Tbsp. vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Using a Magic bullet or any food processor purée the garlic, onion, ginger, core of a tomato including juice and seeds, lemon grass, fish sauce and olive oil.
2. Lay the fish fillet in a nonreactive bowl or a glass pan and pour the puréed mixture and rub it on both sides of the fillet. Cover and marinade for about a couple  of hours in the fridge.
3. Place the tomato and eggplant and pour water enough to make both of them float. Being to a boil until they are soft and easy to peel. Discard water and let them cool.
Using a pan, heat about 2 tsp. of the purée taken from the fish marinade. Peel  the eggplant and tomato when cooled then crash them together. Season it with salt and pepper then vinegar.
4. Preheat oven to 400 to broil. If you are using the glass pan used in marinating the fish, pull it out of the fridge 1 hour before you intent to broil or bake it so it won't break because of extreme temperatures. If using a metal pan, cover it with foil and the fish on top. Scrape off the pureed marinade and discard before broiling/baking. Flip after 6 mins. and broil 7 mins. or until lightly brown.
5. Place the eggplant and tomato salad and top it with the cooked tilapia fillet. If desired, add achara  or bell pepper on top of the fillet. Serve hot and enjoy.

This recipe's inspiration is from Jennifer Aranas' Grilled Grouper with eggplant-prune Campote or inasal na Lapu-lapu from her book Filipino-American Kitchen.

Suggestion:
This recipe can be grilled, baked or pan-seared Tilapia or other kind of fish. Like what I did, you can top it with pickled bell peppers  or the commonly known Pickled Papaya/Achara. Click the link for the recipe. http://lannieshomecooking.blogspot.com

Feel free to use this Lannie Armstrong recipe for your home cooking or share it on your wall.

Food for the Soul

I love you, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:1-2, ESV