I discovered tilapia eight years ago and have enjoyed a love affair with this delicately-flavored fish ever since. Not only is tilapia a great choice for low-carb or health-conscious dieters, it’s relatively inexpensive and versatile: tilapia can be grilled, fried, baked, sautéed and blackened with great results.

This recipe calls for grilled tilapia, marinated and paired with another of my favorite “healthy” foods—brown rice.

For the marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

For the hand rolls:

1 1/2 cups short-grained brown rice
3 cups cold water
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 package of nori, roasted and salted
1 pound of tilapia fillets, cut into 2-inch strips
1/4 cup English or Japanese cucumber, julienne-cut
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp black sesame seeds
1 container prepared seaweed salad
Pickled ginger
Wasabi
Soy sauce


1. Combine brown rice and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to lowest setting, cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in rice vinegar. Cover and let stand.

2. Prepare marinade: Whisk together all ingredients in shallow bowl or baking pan. Add tilapia strips, then turn over so that all sides are coated with marinade. Marinate for no more 20 minutes (or the lime juice will begin to “cook” the fish). Discard marinade.

3. Place tilapia fillets on medium-high grill and cook two minutes on each side. Remove from grill and cover to keep warm.

4. Assemble temaki: place a half-sheet of nori horizontally on a sushi mat. Place four tablespoons of brown rice on the left side, leaving a 1-inch border. Place fish strips and vegetables vertically across the rice. Top with sesame seeds, a small amount of seaweed salad, and a strip of pickled ginger. Roll the nori into a cone by rolling over the bottom corner and rolling from left to right. Paste the cone together with a few dabs of wasabi.

5. Repeat steps with remaining nori and ingredients. Serve with more wasabi and soy sauce on the side.