Last weekend we went out of town to visit family and I brought my camera.  I didn’t even take it out of the case the entire weekend, but still managed to leave it at my aunt’s house.  So, for the time being I will be using my iPhone to document my food.  This does bring me some relief since I will be able to put less pressure on myself to get the perfect shot.  No moving plates of food from room to room, turning on and off lights, standing next to windows and changing settings on the camera.  So I guess forgetting my camera is a blessing.

This meal was an adaptation of a recipe I found on epicurious, here is the link to the original recipe that uses snap peas and capers.  I used haricots verts, added cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced my potatoes and used some different seasonings.  Instead of grilling the packets, I baked them in the oven.  Many of the comments on the website talk about the variations on this dish and all the many things you can use to make these packets fit what you like or what you have in the kitchen.

Ben and I both thought it was a nice, light dinner.  We also liked the amount of clean up!  As long as you don’t cut through the foil (like I did on one of the packets) you won’t have any pots and pans to clean.  There are a few things I would do differently the next time I make these.  I’d probably skip the tomatoes.  While I love the color they add, they were just too mushy.  Maybe a few slices of sun-dried tomatoes would have been better, or roast them separately and toss them on after the fish is baked.  I’d also add less liquid, or serve with some nice crusty bread to soak up the sauce.  If you want it less saucy, shoot for the smaller amount of liquid listed below.  I did not make my foil long enough, so everything was really crammed together in the packets.

For the seasoning I used Citrus Seafood Rub from Adams Reserve seasoning that I bought at HEB.  The ingredient list printed on the label includes garlic, onion, coriander, dill weed, tarragon, pepper, paprika, fennel seed, lime and lemon oil.  If you can’t find this rub, but I would suggest you at least try to find it because it is so delicious, you could use some of the spices listed in the rub, or find another seafood rub or any spice mix you enjoy.

Tilapia Packets with Potatoes and Haricots Verts

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets
• 2-3 red potatoes, thinly sliced, larger slices halved
• 1-2 cups haricots verts, cut in half
• 12-15 cherry tomatoes, halved (optional)
• salt and pepper
• Adams Citrus Seafood Rub (or another seafood seasoning you like)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 2-4 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• Parsley, freshly chopped, for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Toss potatoes and haricots verts with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
3. Cut 4 pieces of heavy duty foil into 18-inch pieces, fold each in half, then unfold.  Spray one side with cooking spray and lay one fillet down.  Season with salt, pepper and between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of the spice rub.  Sprinkle with 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice.
4. Take 1/4 of the vegetables and spread them around the fish.  Add halved cherry tomatoes now if using.  Fold up the sides of the foil and pour 1/2-1 tablespoon of wine around the edge.  Dot the top with a few small pieces of butter.  Fold the top of the foil down and crimp all the edges together.  Cut a small slit in the top of the packet and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Repeat with remaining fillets and bake packets for 15-20 minutes.  Check a potato slice for doneness.
6. Open packets, sprinkle with parsley and serve.