Mediterranean Tilapia -- When the Ocean Calls You In

Memorial Day weekend. We drove to the Cape again—Falmouth, Sean's cousin Fionnuala, same house as last year but this year with a toddler who walks and therefore the dynamic of the weekend is substantially different. Liam walked through the house and then the yard and then down to the beach access and stood at the edge of the sand with both arms out, which is his pose when something is new and enormous, and looked at the ocean for thirty seconds with his mouth open and then walked directly into it.

He made it to his ankles before Sean caught him. The Atlantic in late May is about fifty degrees. His face when the water hit his feet was a complete record of the experience. He wanted more. We let him have more, holding his hands while he walked in the shallows, the cold not deterring him at all once he'd decided the ocean was something he wanted to know.

We ate on the porch again as we had last year—Fionnuala grilled striped bass again, same guy from the dock, same cast iron—and her kids played with Liam in the yard until dinner and it was easy in the way that other people's houses with kids in them are easy, everyone moving and eating and not requiring anything specific from anyone. Liam fell asleep at the dinner table in his high chair, sitting upright with his hands around his cup, which is the best advertisement for a day well spent that I've ever seen.

Second Memorial Day on the Cape. He'll come every year until he's old enough not to want to. Then he'll want to again when he's older. That's how it works.

Fionnuala’s striped bass is a once-a-summer thing — the right guy at the right dock, the right cast iron — but that porch feeling, the easy dinner with kids running in the yard and nobody needing anything specific from anyone, that’s something I want to be able to recreate on a Tuesday. Mediterranean tilapia gets me there: it’s fast, it’s bright, and it has that same quality of food that tastes like it belongs near water. Liam was asleep before his plate was clear, which means we did something right.

Mediterranean Tilapia

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz each)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 1/4 cup capers, drained
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a large baking dish or line a rimmed sheet pan with foil.
2. Season the fish. Pat tilapia fillets dry and season both sides with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes. Arrange in the prepared baking dish.
3. Build the topping. In a small bowl, combine the cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice. Stir to combine.
4. Assemble. Spoon the tomato and olive mixture evenly over the fillets. Lay lemon slices on top of each fillet.
5. Bake. Bake uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the tomatoes are just beginning to burst.
6. Finish and serve. Scatter fresh parsley over the top and serve immediately, spooning the pan juices over each fillet. Good with crusty bread, rice, or on its own.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 6g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 480mg