After a sort of family reunion in Charleston, South Carolina, I got into a big time southern cooking wave. Going off the Creole/Southern vibe, I came up with this variation of a meal that my dad made a few times when I was growing up. Fresh tilapia makes a huge difference – I got mine from Costco and filed them here – but tilapia filets from the store will still be good. Feel free to adjust the amounts on the blackened seasoning, what I have here is general estimates but I didn’t write it down when I was actually doing it.
Tilapia w/ Black-Eye Peas and Grits
Ingredients
Tilapia
- 4 Tilapia filets
- 1 t Salt and pepper
- 1/2 t Cayenne
- 1/2 t Thyme
- 1/2 t Oregano
- 1/2 t Garlic powder
- 1/2 t Cumin
- 1 t Paprika
Black-Eye Peas
- 1 can black-eye peas drained and rinsed
- 1/4 yellow onion diced
- 2-3 stalks celery diced
- 2 jalapeños fine dice
- 2 cloves garlic smashed then chopped
- 1/2 shallot fine dice
- 2-3 strips bacon optional, chopped
- 1/2 chicken stock
- Cumin
- Salt and pepper
- Cayenne pepper
Grits
- 1 package instant grits
- Water
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Grits
- In small saucepan, follow measurements for instant grits. I believe I did 2 c water and 1/2 c grits. Season with salt and pepper once cooked. Add knob of butter once plated.
Black-eye Peas
- In saucepan over medium/medium-high heat, add bacon. Cook for until brown and mostly cooked through. Add onion, celery, jalapeños, garlic, shallot. Sauté for a 3-5 minutes. Season with cumin, cayenne, pepper – the bacon is already salty so tread lightly with the salt. Add chicken stock, then peas. Turn to simmer and let cook/reduce for 10 minutes or so.
Tilapia
- Combine seasonings in small bowl. Then sprinkle over fish.
- In large cast iron over high heat, add 1 T olive oil, then seasoned fish. Cook for less than a minute a side – I didn’t keep track but was probably close to 30 or so seconds.