Description
The basic tea bags in your pantry can deliver amazing flavors beyond the tea cup. Use black tea leaves to make this Chinese style smoked tilapia.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup black tea leaves (from 16 tea bags)
- ½ cup uncooked jasmine or any long grain rice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 pound tilapia filets
- Lemon slices
Instructions
- Mix vinegar, oil, ginger, pepper and salt in a large resealable bag. Add fish and marinate in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Line bottom of wok or large skillet with aluminum foil. Add tea, rice and sugar; mix together.
- Turn on the vent and open your kitchen windows! Heat over medium high for 7-8 minutes (until sugar starts to melt), stirring occasionally.
- Place fish in a steamer and place over tea mixture (or place fish onto a grid of chopsticks laid over tea/sugar/rice mixture.) Cover tightly and cover any exposed area between wok/skillet and steamer with damp kitchen towels. Reduce heat to low and smoke for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes and is cooked through.
Notes
Method adapted from Min Tsai’s Tea Smoked Trout w. Thai Cucumber Tomato Salad