REVIEW: Prosciutto-Wrapped Tilapia with Fresh Sage

[Gourmet_Mom]

I fixed this straight from the recipes, except for the broccolini. We don’t have that here, so I subbed broccoli flowerettes. We like it well enough, and it was a simple meal to put together. My fillets were pretty small and thin, so they came out kinda sage-y. Other than that, it was good. The risotto was really good. I’d give this an 8+ and I’d probably do it again sometime when I have some fresh sage on hand…but with bigger pieces of fish.

[cjs]

Well, I wasn't going to post the picture, but I'll go ahead - this was not our favorite dinner. I should say mine, Roy did like it and especially liked the leftovers the next a.m. He gave it a 9. I guess I'd give it a 7.

The best thing was Bonair Winery's '08 Yakima Valley Chardonnay was great with the flavors!

The proscuitto overpowered the tilapia completely. Between all the ingrdients that are just naturally salty, it was over salty for me.

The instructions for the rice were really off, it took 7 additions of liquid to cook the rice. I couldn't bring myself to use water, so subbed chicken stock for the first 3 (that were called for) additions plus water for the balance.

I sure couldn't see where the walnuts that were called for came from, all I could think of was pine nuts with these flavors, so that's what I used. Other than those two differences, I did make it as directed.


the darn fish looks like a hand with a rubber on it.....

So, is anyone thinking of choosing the next dinner review??

[foodfiend]

Quote:

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the darn fish looks like a hand with a rubber on it.....

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*snort!*


Okay, I made this last week and we both enjoyed it very much!

Since I don't "do" proscuitto, I had wondered about subbing turkey ham and Daphne counter-suggested turkey bacon. I did the bacon and can't imagine it being much better. It gave a lovely, smoky flavor to the tilapia and a crispy bit of sage leaf eaten with each bite just made the dish.




This was awesome fish! Very, very different from any other way I had every prepared fish before, but different in a good way. The flavors of the bacon, lemon, and Parmesan combined to turn this mild-mannered tilapia into something on a whole different taste level. And the addition of sage is genius—a tiny bit with each bite is incredible. I’ll definitely make this again.

I didn’t have Arborio rice or broccolini, but since I still have a lot of zucchini in the garden I sautéed zucchini, yellow squash, potatoes, garlic, and rosemary for a side.

A tip. I had small tilapia fillets so I sandwiched two together before wrapping with the bacon. That way I could grill the fish and not be worried that it would cook before the bacon and dry out. And slide a sage leaf under the bacon on each side, too.

[Gourmet_Mom]

"A tip. I had small tilapia fillets so I sandwiched two together before wrapping with the bacon. That way I could grill the fish and not be worried that it would cook before the bacon and dry out." I wish I'd thought of that. I think that was part of my problem.

Jean, the proscuitto I had was that wafer thin from the deli, so it was not so overpowering.

[foodfiend]

I love the turkey bacon that I used. It's Sam's Club's "Members Mark" brand, thick-cut and smoky, almost like Canadian bacon.

And I'm serious when I offer to send you some fresh sage if you want to try it again. My little plant has turned into a shrub and I don't think that, if I wrap it tightly in plastic, it would lose much on a 3-4 day trip through the US postal system...

Everyone else, too-- fresh sage? We though that it added a wonderful touch to the fish!

[Gourmet_Mom]

I appreciate the offer. I can get it, I just want to be sure I have another dish to make with the rest of the sage. The little packages I can get don't cost any more than what it would cost you to ***** some.

Speaking of another dish to make with the sage...I think this might be on the menu again soon so I can make Jean's Roasted Butternut Squash al Burro...OIY! Soooo good!

[Mare749]

I was a bit disappointed with this dish. It was okay, but not one that I will make again. First of all, I love prosciutto and like tilapia pretty well, but did not care for the taste of them together. But, that could be because I only really care for tilapia with a light breading and quickly pan-fried in a little bit of butter. I just don’t think that grilling does much for it.

In any case, I wouldn’t want it wrapped in prosciutto. Ron liked this dish far more than I did and even said he would have it again. He especially liked the sauce and toasted walnuts that were added after grilling. I didn't think the walnuts added much to the overall flavor. I gave this dish a 7 and Ron gave it an 8+.

As for the Broccolini Risotto, it was good, but again, not great. I could not find the broccolini this week for some reason, so used some chopped broccoli instead. However, I think we just really like my own tried and true recipe for risotto. I use a combination of olive oil and butter, onions, chicken broth, and finish with some parmesan. We think it has better flavor that way, so it’s hard to give an objective review. I had to keep adding water to finish the risotto, at least another cup.

[karyn]

I was also a bit disappointed, which really surprised me. I love absolutely every one of the ingredients except the walnuts. I subbed pecans, but I think that Jean's suggestion of pine nuts would have been better.

The risotto was also nothing special. I think I would have preferred to use my own recipe. I did use chicken stock instead of water...plain water in risotto sounded really dull to me. I also had to add much more liquid to get the rice to the consistency we like. It was pretty darn al dente with only the amount of liquid specified. I think I would have preferred the broccolini as a separate dish, rather than chopped and added to the risotto.

There was nothing bad about the dish, but I expected more. I'd give it about a 7, and probably won't do it again.

[cjs]

"Ron liked this dish far more than I did and even said he would have it again. He especially liked the sauce" - "Roy" could be subbed here - exactly how he felt.

One more note - re the risotto. I had never made risotto without Parmesan, but found I did like this very much - not that I would ever quit using Parmesan, but I will omit it once in a while.

Did anyone have to use dry Sage? Personally I don't think that would work as well, so hope not. My sage is lookin' a little sad now - it's getting cold overnight now - down to the 30s last night.

As Karen said, "I love absolutely every one of the ingredients" and I feel the same way, so was really surprised at my reaction to the dish.

Good choice, tho, Daphne, we would never have known....

[Gourmet_Mom]

"As Karen said, "I love absolutely every one of the ingredients" and I feel the same way, so was really surprised at my reaction to the dish." Ditto!