I’m married to a Brazilian, which means it’s never just us at meal time. Latins like to surround themselves with family, friends, and complete strangers for any given meal. Instead of cooking two pieces of fish, it’s better to cook five—or better yet the whole fish—because I never know who is coming to dinner. But my air fryer doesn’t hold five pieces of fish, even though it’s the size of a deluxe crock pot. So I’ve learned to cook in shifts on some nights. Other nights I shut the lights out and pretend I’m not home.
I should break down and buy a new mega-sized air fryer but that might encourage the plumber, the a/c repairman, or the retiree next door to have a regular seat at my dinner table. So for the sake of my sanity, I make do with my current model.
There are a few things I love to cook in the air fryer more than any other method—fish and potatoes are my current two faves. I cook fish a few nights a week as it makes me feel very healthy after the thousand squats my trainer makes me do.
On non-gym nights, I like to cook homemade fries in the air fryer. I also love homemade air fryer potato chips, but you only get about 10 chips per cycle. Even though I’m a patient cook, there is an end to my willingness to endure the endless ding-ding-ding for an entire afternoon just to satisfy the pack of hungry animals that always seem to be at my house when a timer goes off.
This Pesto Crusted Tilapia recipe is one of my go-to meals. I put a few individually frozen tilapia fillets in cold water to defrost, and then I put the rice in my rice cooker before I go to the gym. When I come back, the rice is ready. I put a teaspoon of pesto on each piece of tilapia and cook them at at 370 degrees for 7 minutes in my air fryer. By the time I’ve taken off my tennis shoes and poured a glass of wine, dinner is ready.
I recently served this to recipe my ultra-fit cousin-in-law Marcio (whose handsome face often shows up in my videos and social media posts). He rolled his eyes in ecstasy when he tried the pesto rice and said, “If I could eat this rice every night, I’d be a happy man.” It was such high praise, I didn’t want to tell him how simple it was. I prefer for him to think that I’m the only person in the whole big world who can make this special rice. I want him to think it takes hours of time, years of practice, and a little bit of magic to boot. That way, he’ll come visit on a regular basis. Bottom line: you can share this Pesto Rice Recipe with every other person on the planet, but please don’t tell Marcio how easy it is.
Pesto Crusted Tilapia Recipe with Brown Pesto Rice
Pesto
1 cup Brown Rice
2.5 cups water
Salt & pepper to taste
Put brown rice and water in the rice cooker. Add a generous tablespoon of pesto. Add less salt than normal as pesto has a lot of salt in it. It will take about 30 minutes to cook (or 40 if you double the recipe), so do this first.
Coat the air fryer basket with non-stick cooking spray. Place defrosted fish in basket with as little overlap as possible. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you will probably have room for 3-5 pieces of fish. Put a teaspoon of pesto on each fillet and spread with the the back of a spoon. Put basket in the air fryer and cook for 6-7 minutes at 370 degrees. It’s better to undercook it, as you can always cook it again for another minute if the fillets are undercooked.
Top with roasted pine nuts and grated Parmesan cheese. Pair with an acidic white wine, such as a Pinot Grigio from Italy or a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand or California.
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