Moroccan Tilapia

Tilapia and catfish are two of the most consumed types of fish in the US over the last 10 years. This is mainly due to their excellent, non-fishy taste, that they are very reasonably priced and best of all they are high in protein and low in fat. Add in the heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and you have a winner. So if you are of the opinion that you should be eating fish at least twice a week you really can’t go wrong by choosing tilapia.

Several years ago there was some controversy as to the amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 in these two types of fish but I am not going to go into that here. If you are interested in a balanced view on this study from two well respected sources see what the Mayo Clinic and NutritionData.com had to say.

Now me I just love the way that Tilapia tastes and it is versatile to season many different ways. For this particular meal I was in the mood for some Moroccan flavors but I also wanted dinner that was going to be quick and easy to repair (sorry Rachel Ray but I didn’t even want to spend 30 minutes in the kitchen).

In Moroccan cooking there are a handful of spices that are most commonly used:

1. Black Pepper
2. Ginger
3. Turmeric
4. Salt
5. Paprika
6. Cumin
7. Cinnamon
8. White Pepper
9. Saffron

So since we were going simple for this meal I was just going to make a quick rub and I used some cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika and black pepper. I also made some couscous with some green peas from the freezer and used some Madras Curry seasoning for that.

The contrast of mango and cilantro is amazing!

What You’ll Need

• 12 oz. of Tilapia
• 2-3 Sprigs of fresh Cilantro
• ½ Fresh Mango
• ½ – 1 Tsp Cumin
• ½ – 1 Tsp Ginger
• ½ – 1 Tsp Turmeric
• ½ – 1Tsp Korintje Cinnamon
• ½ – 1Tsp of Smoked Spanish Paprika
• A Pinch of Black Pepper
• 2/3 Cup of Dry Couscous
• ½ Cup Frozen Peas
• 1 Tbsp of Madras Curry

What to Do

1. Pre-heat your skillet or Foreman Grill (I used the Foreman Grill)
2. Seasoning the Tilapia with the cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, paprika and pepper
3. Lightly rub the seasonings onto the fish as you would with any rub and make sure that both sides are evenly coated
4. Make the Couscous according to package directions and cook with the peas and the Madras Curry seasoning
5. Cook the tilapia on the Foreman

Serves 2

Nutritional Information (per serving)

Tagged as: Moroccan spices, tilapia