Tilapia Baked in Couscous

Dr. Carrie's Note:

Adapted from Rachel Ray Everyday magazine, November 2006. I'm always looking for new ways to use couscous and easy new ways to cook fish. This looks colorful, fresh and tasty! Will be trying it next week. You can substitute any thin delicate white fish, like red snapper or sole.

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0 fillets

• 10 ounces couscous
• ½ cup slivered almond
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomato , finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• salt and pepper
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 lemon , thinly sliced
• 4 (8 ounce) tilapia fillets
• 2 ½ cups water
• 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley , chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl combine couscous, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and cumin; season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Stir in the 1/4 Cup olive oil and the lemon juice.
4. Drizzle 1 T olive oil over the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange the tilapia fillets in a single layer in the dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 1 T olive oil.
5. Cover the fish with the couscous mixture and arrange the lemon slices on top.
6. Pour 2 1/2 cups water around the fish, cover with foil and bake until tender, around 25 minutes.
7. Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Reviews

[Autumn Butler]

This was a really good dish and an awesome way to use couscous. I did make a couple of changes to the recipe: I didn't have any sun-dried tomatoes on hand, so I substituted 2 diced roma tomatoes. Also, I topped the dish with grated parmesan cheese--very nice!

[Mama2boys]

A super easy recipe that the kids can help make. It got 2.5 of 4 stars at our house, I even forgot to add the parsley! I would add a bit more salt next time and toast the almonds so that they add a little more flavor. Thanks for posting a new idea for couscous, which, until now, has become pretty bland at our house!