Vietnamese Tilapia with Turmeric and Dill

Every time I eat Vietnamese food, whether at home or in a restaurant, I am amazed at the incredible flavor combinations and textures!  There are so many flavors working together in harmony and the combinations are just stunning.  Take this dish, for example.  The saltiness comes from the soy sauce and fish sauce.  The sweet comes from just the tiniest bit of sugar.  The freshness comes from dill and lemon juice added as a garnish and the texture comes from the accompanying sauteed onions and the crushed peanuts added at the end.  I served this with jasmine rice that I seasoned with lemon zest and lemon juice.  All in all a great dish and worth trying!  Enjoy!

Vietnamese Tilapia with Turmeric and Dill (adapted from Cooking Light, April 2014)

For the marinade:


1/4 c. minced shallot (1 large shallot)
1 T. fresh dill, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
2 T. fish sauce
1 T. sesame oil
1 t. turmeric
1/2 t. black pepper
1 lb. tilapia fillets

For the onions:

1 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
1/2 c. fresh dill, chopped and divided
4 green onions, cut into 1" pieces
1 T. low sodium soy sauce
2 t. sugar
1/2 oz. dry roasted peanuts, chopped
4 lemon wedges 

For the marinade:

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.  Add the fish and toss to coat.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.  At the end of the marinating time remove the fish from the marinade and brush off as much of the solids as possible.  Discard marinade and solids.

For the onions:

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Add 1 1/2 t. olive oil and the sliced onion, 1/4 c. dill and green onion and stir fry for 8 minutes.  Add the soy sauce and sugar and continue cooking for 1 more minute.  Arrange the onion mixture on a platter.  

Return the pan to the heat, add the remaining 1 1/2 t. olive oil and place the fish in the pan.  Cook on one side for 3 minutes, turn and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes until the fish is cooked through and flaky.  Place the fish mixture on the platter with the onions.  Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 c. dill and peanuts.  Serve with lemon wedges for drizzling.

4 servings (229 calories each serving) according to my calculator on loseit.com