RECIPE - Tilapia with Lime Sauce (Tilapia ao Molho de Limão)

This simple and quick everyday recipe for farmed tilapia can be adapted to almost any type of white-fleshed fish, except for those which flake easily. You'll need a fish that doesn't fall apart during the grilling process. If tilapia is available in your local markets and you haven't tried it, this recipe is a perfect excuse to buy some - it highlights the flavor and texture of the fish, and doesn't overwhelm it with sauce or with other ingredients.



Tilapia is a fish that can be successfully, sustainably farmed in an environmentally-friendly manner. The cultivation of farmed tilapia is very important commercially in my Brazilian home state of Ceará, accounting for nearly a third of the state's commercial fish harvest annually. It is a delicately flavored by delicious fish, and one that deserves a higher profile. As our seas and oceans are harvested dry of wild fish, species like the tilapia that can be farmed without damaging the environment are likely to claim more and more space at the dinner table and on restaurant menus around the world.

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RECIPE - Tilapia with Lime Sauce (Tilapia ao Molho de Limão)

Serves 4



2 tilapia fillets (or other non-flaking white fish)

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1 cup creme de leite, sour cream or crème fraîche

2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. freshly grated lime peel (use microplaner if possible)

salt and pepper to taste

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 In a medium sauce pan, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter then add the chopped onion. Saute until the onion is transparent but not browned. Add the wine, bring to the boil then reduce until the wine is almost totally evaporated. Reduce heat to low. Add the creme de leite, sour cream or crème fraîche, and heat thoroughly but do not let boil. Add the grated lime peel, stir in, then remove from the heat. Reserve, keeping warm.



In a heavy frying pan, add the remaining Tbsp. butter and melt over medium heat until it bubbles. Season the fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste, then add to the frying pan. Cook, turning over once, until the fish is nicely browned and just opaque throughout. Do not overcook.



Place the cooked fillets on a serving platter, then top with lime sauce. Pass additional sauce in a gravy boat. Serve with boiled potatoes and a green vegetable.