Grilled Tilapia with Pepper Sauce

Name: Grilled Tilapia with Pepper Sauce
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: West African
Ingredients: 4 Tilapias, whole, scaled and gutted (about 400–500 g each); 1 medium Onion, roughly chopped; 4 cloves of Garlic; 30g Ginger, fresh, peeled; 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, or kpakpo shito, stems removed; 2 tbsp Lemon Juice, fresh; 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil; 1 1/2 tsp Salt; 1 tsp Ground Black Pepper; 3 medium Tomatoes, cored; 1 large Red Onion; 3 1/2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, to taste; 10g Ginger, fresh, peeled; 1 clove of Garlic; 2 tbsp Lime Juice, or lemon juice, fresh; 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil; 1 tsp Salt; Some Lemon Wedges, or lime wedges, optional

This Grilled Tilapia with Pepper Sauce pairs flaky, charred fish with a vibrant, spicy pepper sauce brightened by citrus. Quick to make and full of bold Caribbean flavors, it’s perfect for a weeknight dinner or a casual summer cookout.

This Grilled Tilapia with Pepper Sauce pairs flaky, charred fish with a vibrant, spicy pepper sauce brightened by citrus. Quick to... Show more

Traditional West African Recipe

Health Grade

A+ · Excellent

Rating

4.2

Time

50 min

Price

1,07 €

Calories

345 kcal

low calorie

healthy

easy

gluten free

Method

Prep the fish

Rinse the Tilapia under cold water and pat it very dry. Make 2–3 shallow diagonal slashes on each side of every fish. Roughly chop the medium Onion, mince the 4 cloves Garlic, finely grate or chop the 30 g Ginger, and stem and chop the 2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers. Stir the chopped aromatics together with the Lemon Juice, Vegetable Oil, Salt, and Ground Black Pepper into a rough paste.

Marinate the fish

Rub the paste all over the tilapia, pressing some into the slashes and the cavity. Set the fish on a tray or in a shallow dish, cover, and let it marinate for 15 minutes.

Cook the sauce

While the fish marinates, core and roughly chop the 3 Tomatoes and peel and chop the large Red Onion. Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat, then cook the red onion for 3 minutes until it starts to soften. Stir in the tomatoes, the remaining chopped Scotch Bonnet Peppers, the remaining ginger and garlic, and the remaining salt, then cook for 10 minutes, stirring often and pressing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon, until the sauce is thick, glossy, and jammy. Stir in the Lime Juice off the heat.

Grill the tilapia

Heat a clean grill or grill pan over medium-high and brush the grates lightly with oil. Grill the marinated fish for 7 minutes on the first side, flip carefully, and grill for 7 minutes more, until the skin is lightly charred and the flesh flakes easily at the thickest part.

Serve

Arrange the grilled tilapia on a platter, spoon the pepper sauce over the top or serve it alongside, and finish with Lemon Wedges at the table if you want extra brightness.