TDogg's Surfside Sandwich

Ah the seaside. For me, it brings back memories of great family vacations to the Outer Banks, or Topsail, NC. Spending a week with family and friends, playing botchi ball, sunning on the beach listening to great tunes and getting a beat down by the waves. Even further back, I have tons of memories of day trips to the Jersey shore with the sights and smells of the boardwalk. Of course, you can't have a great beach trip without great food. Hence my inspiration for today's recipe.

Consumption of fish is recorded back through most of all written history, whether it was the Egyptians who floated in boats made of papyrus on the Nile, Oppian of Corycus the author from ancient Greece who wrote about fishing in the Halieulica, or the Moche people of Peru, who depicted fishing on their ceramics. Today overfishing and pollution has caused many issues and if not carefully managed, could cause the collapse of many of the sea's populations and put a serious damper on the continued use of these culinary delights.

Fish have many excellent nutritional values in addition to being downright tasty. Calcium, protein, iron and of course the highly touted Omega 3 can all be a part of this complete breakfast, lunch or dinner when dining on fish! You can check out some nutritional values of various types of fish here: http://www.fish4fun.com/nutrition.htm

Well enough of history and science. Let's get on to the recipe. I put together this recipe earlier this week, when I wanted to make quick and tasty dinner for my girlfriend and I. This sandwich would also be great for lunches, and a good mid-day beach energy booster. Enjoy!

TDogg's Surfside Sandwich

Ingredients

2 Tilapia Fish Fillets (removed of bones and skin)
2 or 3 Cloves of Garlic
1 bunch of green onions
5 Tablespoons of fresh Thyme (finely diced, stems removed)
1 Serrano pepper
5 Limes
1 container of Greek Yogurt
1 Red Onion
1 Cucumber
1 Tomato
1 Package of Pita Bread or Whole Grain Sandwich Thins
All purpose flour
Vegetable Oil
Salt and Ground Black Pepper

Preparation

Place the tilapia fillets in a large baking dish. Finely dice and add to a separate bowl the green onions, garlic, and 4 Tablespoons of the thyme. Dice and add the Serrano pepper to the bowl(you will want to remove the seeds from the pepper to reduce the heat). Juice 4 of the limes (you may need more depending on the size) and add this to the bowl. Stir ingredients together and then pour mixture over the tilapia fillets. Cover and let stand to marinate for 20 minutes to an hour at room temperature.

While you are waiting for the fillets to marinate, put 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt in a bowl and stir in the juice of the remaining lime and the remaining 1 Tablespoon of thyme. Cover and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve. This can also be made a day ahead. The longer, the better as the flavors will meld together.

Once the fillets are done marinating, lightly shake off the marinade and then salt and pepper both sides of the fillets. Lightly dredge in flour. Put enough oil in a large saucepan to just coat the bottom. Set the pan on medium high heat for a couple of minutes to heat up the oil in the pan and then add the fillets and the marinade mixture. Cook fish until done, flipping halfway through. About 2 to 3 minutes each side. The fish is done when it flakes away easily with a fork and is lightly opaque in the center. Transfer to a plate with a papertowel, which will help drain a little of the oil.

Assembly

Take your pita bread or sandwich thins, and stuff (or top) with the fish. Add sliced red onion, thinly sliced cucumber, sliced tomato and the yogurt mixture for topping. Serve and enjoy!

Additional Notes: While I used tilapia in this recipe, feel free to use your favorite whitefish. Also the amount of limes will vary depending on the size and how much juice you get out of them. For the marinade you want enough lime juice to mix well with the diced items and to ensure you get a nice coating over the fillets.