Tilapia Surprise!

Admittedly, I am not a Rachel Ray fan.  I think most of her recipes are far-reaching and questionable. Take for example her “Cheddar-Crusted Chicken with Smooshy Applesauce.” Growing up, if my mom started glopping piles of smooshy on my dinner plate, I would have taken to showing up at the neighbors every night at dinner time.  I just have my doubts about that woman.  I mean, she has a line of dog-treats now… coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

The story goes something like this. Last fall, I am at Books-A-Million buying our latest book club pick (I had not yet joined the Nook-dom), and the checkout lady asks “Would you like to try 3 months of any of these two magazines for free?” She pulls out a glossy pamphlet and showcases several magazines.  I am a sucker for anything that has the word “free” associated with it (usually with no regards to the fine print), so I say “OFCOURSE!” I choose Southern Living and….. well, the other options were slim. I thought about getting ESPN Magazine for David, but then spied Rachel Ray's Everyday at the bottom.  Apparently, I had a lapse in judgment and blurted out “And… Rachel Ray's Everyday.” What?  When I left Books-A-Million, I was kicking myself for ruining my opportunity at my free 2nd magazine.

The first Rachel Ray Everyday issue arrived in my mailbox, and I decided to take the time to sit down, peruse it, and give old Rach a fighting chance.  The magazine was fine- a tad underwhelming.  Not really my style, but well-organized and full of helpful tips and recipes for her loyal 30-minute mealers. But o yes, I do recall there was a 30 minute wing recipe that called for dipping the wings in lemon jello mix. That may be her grossest recipe yet.

I did call the cancellation # on the back of the glossy pamphlet and ensure that any further issues would not arrive after the free subscription ended.  However, I ripped one recipe out of the magazine and shoved it into the back pocket of my recipe binder to be forgotten about, until this Sunday.

I try to cook every night for David and me, sans Friday & Saturday.  Sometimes it’s as simple as grilling a couple of chicken breasts with some roasted asparagus and brown rice on the side, but I attempt to crank out something decent (and relatively healthy) 4-5 nights a week.  I mix in a new recipe each week or two to keep it interesting- and mainly, because I love to cook and try new things.  This Sunday afternoon, I was browsing through my recipe binder and found the long-forgotten Rachel Ray recipe…

Grilled Fish with Moroccan Chermoula Sauce and Zucchini Cous-Cous.
A) Sounds healthy and unique, B) Rachel claims you can whip it up in 30 minutes or less, and C) Fresh Tilapia filets were on sale at the grocery. Monday Night Dinner Winner.

Foodie Fact: Moroccan cuisine is usually seasoned with lovely flavors such as sesame, saffron, mint, lemon, ginger, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon.  The Chermoula sauce is simply a marinade that is a combination of several spices/herbs. 

This particular sauce was pulsed in the food processor with EVOO and red chiles, garlic, mint, cilantro, flat-leaf parsley, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and lemon to form a paste.  My outcome was more like an actual sauce than a paste, but it was still rather tasty.  The chile added a nice kick to it, but the cilantro and lemon were refreshing.

David and I were both pleasantly surprised with this recipe.  I think it actually took me longer than 30 minutes to make due in part to a storm that decided to burst as we were about to put the fish on the grill. But it probably would have taken longer than 30 minutes anyway-- I am a bit slow in the kitchen (I prefer to call it methodical).

I don’t know if this dish turned me into a Rachel Ray believer, but I do give her credit on this one… The recipe went back into the binder and I’ll be making it again soon.

 If you want to try this recipe, here’s the link on her website:
Grilled Fish with Moroccan Chermoula Sauce & Zucchini Cous-Cous

Recipe Notes: I used tilapia, but you can use any white fish. Also, the recipe calls to season the fish with Old Bay, which I thought was really odd considering the other ingredients, so I used kosher salt & freshly ground peper with a dash of chile powder.  It turned out fine because the sauce is nice and powerful.  Lastly, I had some extra zucchini, so I roasted it in the oven and threw it on the side.

Enjoy!