Crab Stuffed Tilapia

Crab is my number one favorite food of all, so if there is any way I can incorporate it into a meal, I will. This is a healthy and light, yet gourmet-quality dish that is sure to impress any of your dinner guests. The key to making this dish wonderful is the quality of ingredients, especially the crab meat. It is expensive, but I promise it will be worth it. You can find crab meat in a plastic tub in the refrigerated section; this type usually tastes fresher and sweeter. If that is not available, there is canned crab meat, which would also work in this recipe. I had to use the canned crab meat for this batch as it was difficult to find any other kind in Grenada right now. Regardless of that, the dish came out delicious, so here it is!

Ingredients:

     4 tilapia fillets (wild-caught is healthier)

     1 cup (8oz) crab meat, drained

     1/4 of a red bell pepper, finely chopped
     1/2 celery stalk, finely chopped

     2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

     2 tablespoons of mayonnaise (I used low fat)

     1 teaspoon mustard

     1 egg

     1 + 1/2 teaspoon of paprika

     1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

     1 teaspoon of chopped parsley

     1 lime or lemon 

     salt and pepper to taste

     Cooking oil for greasing the pan

     

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, breadcrumbs, egg, 1/2 tsp paprika, garlic powder, parsley, bell pepper, and celery. Once well combined, gently fold in the crab meat and squeeze about 1 tsp of lime or lemon juice into the stuffing mixture. Set aside.

Crab stuffing

Wash the tilapia fillets with lime or lemon juice and set on a cutting board. Slice each fillet down the middle, but only halfway, so that the two halves stay together. Turn the knife to the side and carefully slice each side horizontally to create a pocket on each half. Repeat with the other fillets. Sprinkle salt and black pepper on each side of the fillets.

Slicing the tilapia fillets

Spray a baking pan with cooking oil and place the tilapia fillets cut side up on the pan. Spoon some stuffing in the center of each fillet, stuffing each pocket and filling the center. Sprinkle the remaining 1 tsp of paprika over the fish and place in the oven. Cook for about 20 minutes, and then raise the temperature to 450F. Let the fish cook for another 5 minutes, and then remove from the oven. Be careful not to overcook, or the fish will become dry. Plate and garnish with lime or lemon slices.