Spicy Tilapia with Balsamic Vegetables

I love my balsamic vinegar. I've always thought I loved balsamic vinegar, any kind. And then. I had a balsamic vinegar experience. Last year on a trip to San Francisco, to see my amazingly wonderful and beautiful cousin Shannon, we headed up to Napa Valley for required wine tasting. Yay wine! Heading over to Vincent Arroyo Winery, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that not only do they make their own wine, but their own olive oil and balsamic vinegar as well.

Well....this ain't your ordinary balsamic vinegar. After the first taste of this...balsamic SYRUP, we were hooked. I think we mowed through all of their crackers and breads 'sampling' it, and bottles were definitely bought. We didn't even wait to get home. We brought some bread and tomatoes with us from the SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, cracked open a bottle of wine, poured us some balsamic vinegar and had a feast under the olive trees!

I don't really know how to describe it (I really need to train with some pro food reviewers). It's smooth and thick and unlike anything you've ever tasted. It's addicting, and I'll never go back to whatever it is that's sold in supermarkets. I recently just spent $100+ to get some more of it over here to the east coast. I already wish ordered more.

Don't be surprised if Aaron comes home one day and he finds me passed out with an empty bottle of it, a straw, and an empty bread bag. Just a warning folks. It's that good.

So ever since I made Chicken Parm Sliders with their explosive cherry tomatoes, I've been wanting to put them on everything, including some spicy tilapia. This meal was very good. It was a different taste I've had with tilapia, and I'm glad to be able to mix it up a bit. I'm a huge fan of spice, but don't worry about these, if you use ground cayenne pepper (not crushed) and use a liberal sprinkling, it won't be too overpoweringly (is that a word?) spicy. It will add just enough smokey flavor to give the dish some depth. And it ended up working nicely with the balsamic vinegar.

Spicy Tilapia with Balsamic Vegetables
Printable Recipe
by Kacey's Kitchen

• 4-6 fillets of Tilapia
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 pint mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 tbsp EVOO, plus some for drizzling
  
• 2 tbsp butter
• cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup milk
  
• salt and pepper
• cooked pasta and crusty bread, to serve

1. In a large skillet with lid, heat EVOO and butter over medium heat.
   
2. Add tomatoes, garlic, onions, and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper, toss and cover, cooking until tomatoes pop.
3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Season tilapia with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and EVOO. Place in baking dish a cook until flaky, about 10 minutes.
4. When tomatoes have popped, crush vegetable mixture using a fork or potato masher. Add spinach.
   
5. Lower heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. Once combined, stir in milk. Let sit and thicken over low heat.
6. Once tilapia is done, plate to serve and spoon vegetable mixture over fish. Serve with pasta and crusty bread if necessary (yes, it is totally necessary!)