Broiled Tilapia with Vegetables and Dilled Potatoes

Today was one of those days where I really didn't want to cook. I wanted something easy and quick that required almost no effort at all. So I decided to make broiled tilapia with veggies and dilled potatoes.

If you've never used youre broiler before then you are missing out--it is amazing! The oven is on such a high heat that everything cooks quickly, turning a 45-minute dish into a 10 or 15-minute dish. It's great when you don't have a lot of time to cook--you just have to watch everything to make sure it doesn't burn.

The ingredients:

Tilapia filets--our local grocery store has individually wrapped frozen tilapia that are great. Just run them under water for a few minutes and they are defrosted, and the whole pack is much less expensive than buying them fresh
2 bell peppers
A handful of baby carrots (or two "adult" carrots)
1 red onion
New potatoes
Sour cream
Butter
Salt
Pepper
Dill

For the seasoning on the tilapia, I used 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 teaspoonful paprika, 1/4 teaspoonful dried basil, 1/4 teaspoonful celery salt, 1/2 teaspoonful onion powder, 1/2 teaspoonful garlic powder, about 1 teaspoonful lemon juice, and 2 bay leaves.

Now let's get cooking! Put a pot on to boil and turn on your oven's broiler. In a small bowl, combine all of the tilapia seasonings, except for the bay leaf, and mix well with a fork or a whisk.

Place your tilapia filets on a baking sheet and spoon or pour the seasoning mixture over your filets. I like to line my baking sheets with foil because it keeps food from sticking and it makes cleanup a breeze. Place a bay leaf on each filet, then set to the side and let the fish marinate while you prep the rest of the meal.

Cut up your potatoes into small bite-sized chunks. This will reduce cooking time and make them easier to eat. Once the water is boiling, add your potatoes and cook them until they are tender, about 6 minutes.

While your potatoes are boiling, slice up your onion, bell peppers, and carrots. Try to slice them to about the same thickness so they will cook at the same rate. Drizzle your veggies with olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper, then pop the veggies and the tilapia in the oven. Since tilapia cookes relatively quickly, make sure your veggies are on the upper rack and the tilapia filets are on the lower rack. Then let the oven do its magic! Check your tilapia after 4 minutes, then every minute until they are cooked through and the fish flakes easily.

While that's cooking, drain your potatoes and put them back in the pot. Add a few dollops of sour cream and a pat of butter, then stir until the butter is melted and everything is mixed well.

Then stir in your dill, pepper, and salt. I love the taste of dill, so I always drench my potatoes with the stuff. I added about 2 teaspoonsful of dill and 1/2 teaspoonful each salt and pepper.

By this time your fish should be perfectly cooked. Take them out of the oven and put them to the side. Remove the bay leaves, then let the tilapia sit in the spice mixture a bit longer while your veggies finish cooking.

Take your vegetables out when the edges start to brown and blacken just slightly. Everything should be caramelized and tender. Stir the veggies up to recoat them with the olive oil mixture in the pan.

Then plate your meal and serve!

This dish took less than 20 minutes to make, and in the end--thanks to the foil--I had only dirtied one pot. It was cheap, healthy, and oh so delicious--the perfect meal for a busy weeknight. Enjoy!