T.O. Tilapia

I'm currently on a strict low-fat diet right now as my LDL levels are through the roof, so experimenting with cooking techniques that don't require adding oil to the recipe are my current hobby.

I sometimes feel like a contestant on Iron Chef when Jean decides on what the "secret ingredient" of the day is, and allows me to decide how it should be cooked. Well, today's secret ingredient was tilapia, and I've stumbled upon a really easy and quick way to whip up a great-tasting tilapia entree.

"T.O." does not stand for "telephone order" or "training officer" in this case. It's "toaster oven." Small, easy to use and clean, and great for flash roasting stuff like garlic and eggplant (but more on that later), it's a great way to cook the lazy way--pop it in, set it, and take it out when you're ready to eat.

Here's how to do it. Get a nice big cleaned fish and make sure it's room temperature when you're preparing it. I like to soak the fish in warm water while preparing my other ingredients; it adds additional moisture to the dish. Chop up a large tomato and a large onion into tiny pieces, and prepare about two tablespoons of freshly minced or julienned ginger. Combine the tomato, onion and garlic in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of rock salt and some black pepper. Mix and stuff into the belly and behind the operculum (where the gills used to be on the head) of the fish. Reserve excess stuffing. Place fish on a large sheet of aluminum foil and top with the excess stuffing. Seal fish inside foil to make a pouch. Place in a toaster oven and roast for 15 minutes. Keep in oven until ready to serve.

I'm going to try to put a little cilantro with the stuffing the next time I cook this. Maybe you should try it too.

Bon appetit!