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In tonight’s recipe, you’ll top Mexican-spiced tilapia with crunchy pepitas—or pumpkin seeds—cooked in a pan sauce of fresh orange juice and brown butter. Sides  of garlic rice and collard greens sautéed  with pickled jalapeño complete the dish  with more aromatic, zesty flavor.

Ethan Mick

with Garlic Rice & Collard Greens

Orange & Brown Butter Tilapia

Tilapia Fillets

Jasmine Rice

Garlic

Collard Greens

Butter

Pepitas

Honey

Sliced Pickled Jalapeño Pepper

Mexican Spice Blend (Ancho Chile Powder, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Ground Cumin & Dried Mexican Oregano)

Orange

Ingredients

Remove the **honey** from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and roughly chop the **garlic**. [Remove and discard the stems of the **collard greens**; thinly slice the leaves.](#) Halve the **orange**; squeeze the juice into a bowl, straining out any seeds. Roughly chop the **pepper**. Thoroughly wash your hands immediately after handling.

Prepare the ingredients:

In a small pot, combine the **rice**, **chopped garlic**, **a big pinch of salt**, and **1 1/2 cups of water**. Heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook 12 to 14 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed and the rice is tender. Turn off the heat and fluff with a fork. Cover to keep warm.

Cook the rice:

While the rice cooks, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the **sliced collard greens** and **as much of the chopped pepper as you’d like**, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until the collard greens are slightly wilted. Add **1/2 cup of water**; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until the collard greens are wilted and the water has cooked off. Transfer to a bowl; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Wipe out the pan.

Cook the collard greens:

While the rice continues to cook, pat the **fish** dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with salt, pepper, and **half the spice blend** (you will have extra). In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned fish and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Leaving any browned bits (or fond) in the pan, transfer to a plate.

Cook the fish:

Add the **butter** and **pepitas** to the pan of reserved fond. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently and swirling the pan (carefully, as the pepitas may pop), 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter is browned and nuttily fragrant. Season with salt and pepper. Add the **orange juice** (carefully, as the liquid may splatter) and **honey** (kneading the packet before opening). Cook, stirring constantly, 1 to 3 minutes, or until the liquid is slightly reduced in volume. Turn off the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Make the sauce:

Serve the **cooked fish** with the **cooked rice** and **cooked collard greens**. Top the fish with the **sauce**. Enjoy!