Tilapia wrapped in Banana Leaf

Tilapia wrapped in Banana Leaf

Tilapia wrapped in Banana Leaf

Next to making rice in an Instant Pot, this might be the simplest recipe on Stonedsoup.net. Baking or steaming fish in banana leaves is a very common preparation of fish fillets in coastal Mexico. Having the fish wrapped in banana leaves gives the fish a flavorful herbal taste. 
You probably won’t be able to find banana leaves in a regular grocery store. My local asian market sells them for really cheap in the produce department. They also have them frozen. When using banana leaves, they need to be washed then quickly roasted in the oven for 2 minutes to loosen then up. 
This is a very versatile dish. You don’t have to use tilapia. Snapper, rock fish, cod, grouper, barramundi, or mahi-mahi will all turn out great wrapped in a banana leaf. Just remember that if you have thicker fillets of fish, increase the cooking time. 
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: fish, main course, Mexican
Author: Alex Gorgos

Ingredients

  • 6-8 oz tilapia fillet
  • 1 banana leaf 8″x10″
  • lime juice
  • salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
  • tomato thinly sliced
  • serrano pepper thinly sliced
  • cilantro roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Wash your banana leaf. Heat in a 400 degree oven for 2 minutes to make pliable. Put a tilapia fillet in the center of the leaf. squeeze lime juice over the fillet. Season wth salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Put 3 slices of tomato and saran pepper over the fillet. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
    Mexican, main course, fish
  • Wrap up the fish in the banana leaf.
    Mexican, main course, fish
  • Place the banana leaf wrapped tilapia on a piece of tin foil on a baking sheet. Bake in your 400 degree preheated oven for 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes before opening the banana leaf.
    Mexican, main course, fish
  • Serve in the banana leaf with a side of Mexican style white rice.
    Mexican, main course, fish