Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with Parmesan Couscous

I love cheese. Cheese is one of the most excellent foods there are, and most college students (save for the lactose intolerant ones) tend to agree. This dish is surprisingly simple and quick. Start to finish, prep to finish eating, was about 30-40 mins. Also, it's pretty cheap.

THINGS YOU WILL NEED:
Supplies:
A Pot
A Toaster Oven or Regular Oven
A Bowl
Foil

Food You Should Probably Buy:
Parmesan Cheese
Butter
Cream Cheese (or mayo)
Mustard
Olive Oil
Tilapia
Lemon Juice (optional)
Bread crumbs (optional)

Herbs and Spices:
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Dried Basil
Crushed Red Pepper

Things You Can "Commandeer" From a Dining Hall:
Salt
Pepper
Honey (optional)


This recipe has proportions for ONE serving

Step Zero :: Tilapia
I buy frozen Tilapia from Wegmans. Each filet is individually wrapped, and they defrost fast. Here is my defrosting technique:
Take the filets you will be using, and put them in a pan, bowl, or anything else that can hold water.
Put this vessel in the sink, and put a constant yet light stream of cold water on it.
After about 10-15 minutes, your filets will be defrosted!

Step One :: Making The Parmesan Crust
The crust of this dish is pretty awesome. I think it could also make a great dip for chips. Or a good snack...
Start by putting a generous tablespoon of parmesan cheese into the bowl. Next, add about half a tablespoon of room temperature butter, a generous teaspoon of cream cheese, a little bit of mustard (about an eighth of a teaspoon), a wedge of lemon juice, 1/8 tsp each of dried basil, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and crushed red pepper. Feel free to add in more of a spice if you really like it. (I love garlic, (because it's the best) so I add more of that!) Last, add a bit (~1/4 tsp) of oliv oil.
Mix/mush this up with a fork until it forms a sort of pasty consistency. If it is too thick, add a bit more olive oil or water. If it is too thin, ad more cheese. When it becomes a tasty paste, it is ready to go.

Step Two :: The Couscous
This is the easiest part, because couscous is the easiest of things. I cheated in this part. "Parmesan Couscous" sounds so classy, but I actually bought a flavored couscous box and just made that... Still classy, in my opinion!!
The great thing about couscous is that it takes 5 minutes to make, and these boxes make about 3 servings. That's so much extra dinner!
Make the couscous according to the directions on the box and enjoy it.

Step Three :: Cooking the Tilapia
The frozen tilapia I used is pretty thin, so it only takes about 5-10 minutes in all to cook. Here's how I did it:
Preheat the toaster oven to 450 degrees.
After defrosting the tilapia, put it on a foiled and pammed toaster oven pan.
(Pammed: Having been sprayed with pam)
Season the tilapia a bit with some salt and pepper, and put it into the toaster oven.
Cook the fish for about 3-4 minutes or until it starts to look bright whiteish.
At this point, take the fish out.
Spread the Parmesan pasty mixture onto the fish, making sure to cover the entire filet.
If you have breadcrumbs available, sprinkle those on top too.
Cook the fish for another 2-4 minutes, or until the top is brown and crispy.
Like This:

Step Four :: Putting it All Together
This is where I put the true class into this dish.
1. Take out a plate.
2. Put a portion of the couscous onto the plate, being sure to keep it in the center.

3. Next, put the fish on top of the couscous.

4. Admire the class.

5. Enjoy.

This dish is great because it is fast, and tastes great. It's nice and cheesy without being too heavy. The crust is crispy on top, and creamy in the middle.

The Perfect Bite:

Enjoy!!