Thai Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts & Spicy Cashews

Who says eating healthy has to taste bad?  You really can make a great meal and still not feel like you need an extra 3 hours on the treadmill.  Take this super easy to make dinner.  You can sub brown rice if that’s your fancy, I didn’t have 45 minutes to wait for it, so white worked for me.

I guess you could say this dinner was born out of a “fridge cleaning” experiment.  About 3 weeks ago I bought a Costco sized bag of Brussels Sprouts.  I never got to them in the time before they turned into….well, you know.  A few days before Thanksgiving I fell victim to the same giant bag of Brussels Sprouts.  I can’t help myself, I really love them and always have great designs on using them.  Well, this time I managed to do just that.  AND….the kids liked them both times.  SCORE!  Anyway, they were calling my name last night.  This is what it sounded like….

“Heather please use us before we turn to mushy spheres of goo.  We don’t want you to feel bad when you throw us in the trash – again!!”

It went something like that.

I decided to give them some Thai flare with yellow and red curry and some light coconut milk as well.  I would have never guessed that Brussels Sprouts and Curry would ever taste good together, but I was wrong.  Dead wrong.

If you’re not a Brussels Sprouts fan, you could always add some broccoli instead.  But I say – give the Brussels a chance.  If you don’t boil them or cook them for 30 minutes, they are quite tasty and still have a crunch to them.  These aren’t your Mother’s Brussels Sprouts!  Ok, they aren’t my Mothers.  I hope you give this recipe a try!  Let me know if you do.

Thai Tilapia with Brussels Sprouts & Spicy Cashews

Yield: Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

  • 4 Tilapia loins
  • cooking spray
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil, or olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 1 cup roasted red pepper, diced
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 4 teaspoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 14 oz can light coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, torn
  • cooked white or brown rice

Instructions

  1. Heat broiler. Spray a small baking sheet with cooking spray. Add the tilapia loins and season with salt and pepper. Toss the cashews and cayenne in a small bowl and add to a piece of foil. Broil the fish for about 3 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes with a fork, and broil the cashews for about 1-2 minutes. They will burn fast, so keep an eye on them.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the brussels sprouts, red pepper and green onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until the brussels sprouts are started to get a little color. Add the yellow curry, red curry paste, cumin, soy sauce, brown sugar, salt and coconut milk. Heat through, but do not boil.
  3. Plate some rice and top with the brussels sprouts mixture, then add a tilapia loin and sprinkle with cashews and cilantro and serve.
https://www.farmgirlgourmet.com/2011/12/thai-tilapia-with-brussels-sprouts.html

11
  • Beth
    February 18, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    This was great! Served with roasted potatoes instead of rice. I also used green, rather than red, curry paste (it was what I had, but it worked!). Thanks!

  • Jen
    July 15, 2014 at 8:59 pm

    Very good! A new and interesting way to use brussel sprouts. The only thing I did differently was to steam the brussels for about 7 minutes before sautéing them. They don’t lose their crunchiness and it cuts down on time in the skillet. Without steaming them first, I don’t think they would be cooked enough. Thanks!!

  • Kav Hill
    July 27, 2012 at 3:24 pm

    unbelievably amazing!

  • Anonymous
    January 5, 2012 at 12:09 pm

    omg! I just made this recipe yesterday and it was delicious. My boyfriend loved it. Will totally make a gain!

  • Wanna Be A Country Cleaver
    December 6, 2011 at 12:26 pm

    Brussel sprouts – such an under valued veg.

  • the wicked noodle
    December 5, 2011 at 6:55 am

    Heather, I can’t wait to make this!

  • Chris
    December 3, 2011 at 9:18 pm

    This is what I am talkin’ about! Love the flavors here. I have never used coconut milk with tilapia. Can’t wait to try!

  • Amy
    December 3, 2011 at 6:40 am

    Wow! This looks so flavorful and delicious. A very different use for brussel sprouts.

  • Katmom
    December 2, 2011 at 10:55 pm

    heehee, did I mention, my “G” loves BrusselSprouts? :>)

  • PinkGranny
    December 2, 2011 at 8:50 pm

    OH this sounds good. I want to eat more fish and have ordered tilapia in restaurants. I need to learn where to buy good fish in town.

  • Nelly Rodriguez
    December 2, 2011 at 1:03 pm

    nom nom in my mouth! love anything thai, and anything on a bed of white rice. I’m with you on brown rice, I’m always too starving to wait for it.