Description

A flavorful and vibrant dish featuring tender tilapia baked with spicy piri-piri sauce, served alongside crispy crushed new potatoes roasted to perfection. This easy-to-make recipe combines bold flavors of smoked paprika, garlic, lemon, and hot pickled peppers for a delightful and satisfying meal, complemented by a fresh green salad.

Ingredients

Scale

Potatoes and Vegetables

600g small new potatoes
2 red peppers, cut into chunky pieces
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Fish

4 large pieces tilapia or cod

Piri-Piri Sauce

6 hot pickled peppers (Peppadew recommended)
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 garlic cloves
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp smoked paprika

To Serve

Green salad

Instructions

Preheat Oven and Boil Potatoes: Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan/gas mark 7). Boil the small new potatoes in salted water until they are tender enough to pierce with a knife, then drain them well.
Crush Potatoes and Prepare Vegetables: Spread the boiled potatoes on a large baking tray and gently crush them using the back of a spatula to create flattened pieces. Add the chunky red pepper pieces to the tray.
Season and Roast Potatoes and Peppers: Drizzle the red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil over the potatoes and peppers, season generously with salt and pepper, then roast in the oven for 25 minutes until golden and crispy.
Make Piri-Piri Sauce: While the potatoes roast, combine the hot pickled peppers, chilli flakes, garlic cloves, lemon juice and zest, red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, smoked paprika, and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Purée until the sauce is smooth and well blended. Transfer to a bowl to use later.
Prepare and Bake Fish: Place the tilapia or cod pieces on a separate baking tray. Spoon some of the prepared piri-piri sauce evenly over each piece of fish, seasoning lightly with salt and pepper. When the potatoes have about 10 minutes left to roast, place the fish in the oven and bake for 10 minutes until cooked through and flaky.
Serve: Serve the roasted crushed potatoes and peppers alongside the baked piri-piri fish. Add extra piri-piri sauce on the side and a fresh green salad for a complete meal.

Notes

You can substitute cod with any firm white fish if tilapia is unavailable.
Adjust the quantity of chilli flakes and pickled peppers based on your preferred spice level.
Use a sturdy spatula to crush the potatoes gently to avoid mashing them completely.
Leftover piri-piri sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and used as a marinade or dip.
For a gluten-free meal, ensure pickled peppers and vinegar do not contain gluten additives.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Category: Main Course
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Portuguese-inspired

Keywords: baked tilapia, piri-piri sauce, crushed potatoes, roasted peppers, spicy fish recipe, easy dinner, healthy fish dish