' I have a confession to make. We don’t eat fish. Why? Because I don’t make it. The closest I get to eating fish is a tuna salad sandwich, which is chunk tuna with mayo or Miracle Whip and – if I remember – sometimes salt and pepper. Maybe some relish for something different.
Oh, there are times when I’ve been a bit more adventurous with my fish. There’s an old Weight Watchers recipe I have that has you add dry roasted peanuts to the tuna salad. Sounds strange, I know, but I remember liking it. I’ll have to do it again soon.
Donovan loves fresh salmon (I won’t buy canned, as it just grosses me out). His favorite way to have it is on the grill. But I’m cheap – I can get three meals with ground beef (I stock up when it’s on sale) for the price of one meal of fresh salmon. However, I’ve made a conscious decision to try and improve the quality of our diet, and expose Ariana (the traditionally picky eater) to as wide a variety of foods as possible.
I decided to give fish a try. Frozen tilapia fillets were on sale the last time I did groceries, so that’s what I went with. When I told the kids we were going to have fish, I braced myself for complaints. Instead, I was bowled over by their cheers. If I’d known they were going to be this enthusiastic, I’d have taken the plunge sooner.
I found a recipe I wanted to try: Almond Tilapia and Herb Rice with Peas and Carrots. (As a side note, I’m tempted to change the title of this blog to “Lisa Hartjes Cooks Rachel Ray”, with a comment that no, we’re not really cannibals. 
) Below you’ll find the recipe as I made it. After the recipe, you’ll find my comments about it.
Almond Tilapia and Rice with Peas, Carrots and Herbs
Serves 4
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
2 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup long grain rice
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
1 cup frozen peas
3 scallions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup slivered or sliced almonds
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
Salt and pepper
Flour, for dredging
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Heat stock and 1 tablespoon butter in a pot until boiling. Add rice and carrots, stir once or twice to mix it all together, then cover the pot. Let it simmer for 12-13 minutes, then stir in peas and scallions. Cook 3-4 minutes more. Remove from heat, stir in dill. Put the cover back on the pot and let it sit until you’re ready to serve.
While rice is cooking, toast the almonds in a skillet until golden, 5-6 minutes over medium heat. Remove nuts and set aside until it’s time to serve the fish.
Put the olive oil and remaining tablespoon of butter to skillet you toasted the almonds in. Season the fishwith salt and pepper and dust fish lightly in flour. Cook the fillets for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden and firm. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the pan and let it bubble for a bit and reduce until there’s hardly any liquid left.
Serve the fish and rice combo immediately, topped with lots of nuts.
To my surprise (and delight), the meal was delicious. It received three thumbs up (I don’t count my own thumb for this rating system) with the request to put the recipe in Donovan’s cookbook and to make it again. Of course, I’m never satisfied without doing some tinkering to make the recipe my own. The next time I make this, I’ll be putting a bit of garlic in the butter and oil when it’s time to cook the fish. I’ll also put some lemon zest in with the rice. I think it would really brighten the flavor up (lemon and dill is such a great combination), plus it would tie the two dishes together nicely.
