Ginger and scallion steamed tilapia over Chinese noodles

I found this delicious and very easy way to steam fish. It’s in the oven instead of over boiling liquid. It helps retain moisture and flavor. The combination of ginger, scallions and garlic form a flavorful sauce for steamed tilapia. It takes a few minutes to prepare ingredients, but then the oven does the rest of the work.

Serving the fish over Chinese noodles makes a perfect pairing for the sauce. These are very thin noodles. There are several types. I use wheat-based noodles which take only 3 minutes to boil. You can also use angel hair pasta for this dinner.

Ginger scallion steamed tilapia

Vegetable oil spray

5 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

4 garlic cloves finely chopped

3 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 pound tilapia fillets

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

6 tablespoons dry sherry

1 tablespoon honey

11/2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a 10-by-8-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Scatter the scallions, garlic and ginger over the bottom of the pan. Place tilapia on top. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, sherry, honey and sesame oil together. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon half the sauce over the tilapia. Cover the dish tightly with foil. Place dish on middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake 15 minutes. A meat thermometer should read 130 degrees. Remove tilapia to two dinner plates placing the fish on top of the noodles. Place the vegetables and sauce from the dish around the tilapia and pour the remaining half of the sauce on top of tilapia. Sprinkle cilantro leaves on top.

Yield: 2 servings

Per serving: 411 calories (34 percent from fat), 15.5 g fat (3.0 g saturated, 6.5 g monounsaturated), 84 mg cholesterol, 36.2 g protein, 22.8 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g fiber, 617 mg sodium.

Chinese Noodles

3 ounces Chinese noodles

2 teaspoons sesame oil

While tilapia steams, place a large pot three-quarters filled with water on to boil. When boiling add the noodles and boil 3 minutes. (If using angel hair pasta, boil 8 minutes.) Drain noodles; place back in pot and add sesame oil. Toss well. Divide the noodles in half and place them on two dinner plates. Serve the tilapia vegetables and sauce on top.

Yield: 2 servings

Per serving: 198 calories (23 percent from fat), 5.2 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 1.9 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 5.6 g protein, 31.9 g carbohydrates, 1.6 g fiber, 2 mg sodium.

Linda Gassenheimer is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including her newest, “The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook.” Listen to Linda on www.WDNA.org and all major podcast sites. Email her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.