RECIPES: Pan Seared Tilapia and Arctic Char

May 4, 2009— -- Kelsey Nixon, a contestant on "Next Food Network Star," has teamed with former Top Chef contestant, Spike Mendelsohn, to co-host "Kelsey & Spike Cook by the Book & Off the Hook." The show airs on Food2.com, a new Web site launched by the Food Network.

As on their show, the duo launched a cook-off on "Good Morning America Health" by preparing its own variations of a fun dish. In this case, healthy pan-seared fish for Mother's Day.

Here are the healthy recipes they prepared on the show:

Ingredients:

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 small shallot, finely diced
Zest of and juice of 1 lime
1 fresh serrano chile, minced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 (6-ounce) pieces skinless tilapia fillet
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh cilantro for garnish, chopped

Directions:

Stir together butter, shallot, zest, lime juice, chile and salt in a bowl until well blended, and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until just smoking, then saute 3 pieces of tilapia, turning over once with a spatula, until golden and barely cooked through, about 5 minutes, and transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining fish in remaining tablespoon oil.

Serve each piece of fish with a dollop of chile lime butter, garnished with cilantro.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:

3 (12-ounce) cans coconut juice
2 stalks lemongrass, stalks smacked with the back of a knife
4 ears of corn, shucked
2 kaffir lime leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
2 (5-ounce) arctic char fillets
1 red pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
½ bunch chives, sliced, plus more for garnish
Fresh ground pepper

Directions:

In a large pot combine the coconut juice, lemongrass and corn, and bring to a boil. Let cook for about 12 minutes until corn is tender.

Remove the corn from the coconut liquid (do not discard coconut liquid). Slice the kernels off the cob. Reserve 1 cup's worth of corn in a small bowl. Add the remaining corn kernels to a blender and 1 cup of the coconut liquid; season with salt and blend on high until smooth. Add more coconut liquid to thin out if necessary. Twist the kaffir lime leaves to release the oils and place in a medium bowl. Pour the blended corn sauce into the bowl over the kaffir lime leaves. Cover and keep warm and let steep while you prepare remaining ingredients.