Teaching Our Kids to Cook: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Recipe!

Last month my kids spent the day with professional chef Amanda Riva, creating two delicious recipes using Uncle Ben's rice. The kids and I also appeared in a video of their cooking session, which you can see above!  It was a great time to get all the kids involved with the cooking, and I wrote about their cooking session here.

Yesterday, my oldest son asked if he could help my husband and I prepare dinner.  My other four kids were busy with other things, so it was perfect to have one-on-one alone time with him.  Although it was freezing cold outside, my husband wanted to barbecue (which we do all Canadian winter long)!  So, as my husband got the barbecue ready, I mentored my son on how to make rice and season fish for dinner (we used Uncle Ben's "Fast & Fancy: Fine Herb & Wild" rice in this recipe).

We decided to recreate Amanda's Parmesan Crusted Tilapia recipe that she had taught the kids at last month's cook and learn event.  As my son had already created this recipe before, I thought it would be good to see how much he remembered.    

My Son Helps With the Rice

Helping with the rice was easy for my son, and he followed the instructions well (measuring out the water and adding the rice seasoning into the pot).  I showed him how to turn on the stove top, select the correct heat, and the correct way to stir a pot (by holding the handle in order to take control of the pot).  We watched together until the water came to boiling, then covered the rice and timed for 15 minutes.

When the rice turned out so good, my son was really delighted that he created this tasty pot of rice "by himself".  My son is really building up his repertoire of what he can cook with supervision and he's really proud of his achievements in the kitchen.

Coating the Fish With Parmesan & Seasoning

Instead of tilapia fish, we decided to use ocean perch fillets in our recipe.  And for the parmesan crusted coating, I decided to make a simple coating of parmesan and basil.  That's the great part about cooking from scratch: the ability to use what my family loves best, and what's on hand.

When my son had finished with the fish, we wrapped up the portions in tin foil for my husband to barbecue for 10-15 minutes.  I love the way that fish cooks on the barbecue, even if it's in the foil and not directly on the grill.

Quickly the fish was cooked through, and my son transported the pieces onto a fluffy cloud of Uncle Ben's Fine Herb & Wild rice.  Check out the delicious results, below!

Kids Cook Quite Well in the Kitchen With Proper Supervision

My family really enjoyed the Parmesan Crusted Ocean Perch on rice, and the cheese and basil really dressed up the plain fish.  The meal was such a success, that I'll be adding this recipe to my monthly rotation!  The rice was also super easy and turned out perfect.  

Our Parmesan Crusted Fish Recipe
Adapted from Amanda Riva's Recipe

See Amanda Riva's recipe for Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, below.  (I used different fish, seasoning and Uncle Ben's rice in my recipe recreation.)  Click HERE for a downloadable version of the recipe.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia Recipe

INGREDIENTS

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 125 mL

¼ cup Italian flavoured breadcrumbs 50 mL

¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves 50 mL

1 tsp dried oregano leaves 5 mL

1 tsp paprika 5 mL

1 tbsp olive oil 15 mL

4 tilapia fillets

4 ½ tsp each salt and pepper 2 mL

¾ cup  UNCLE BEN’S Quick Cook PERFECTION Rice 175 mL

Lemon wedges 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Combine the Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, oregano and paprika. Arrange tilapia on a parchment-lined baking sheet; brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

2. Coat the top of the tilapia with the crumb mixture. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. 

3. Meanwhile, prepare the UNCLE BEN’S Quick Cook PERFECTION Rice according to package directions. Serve fish with rice and lemon wedges.   

CONTEST (CANADA)

Have you entered Uncle Ben's Canada "Ben's Beginners" Facebook contest? Prizes available to WIN include 1 of 3 grand prizes of $20,000 ($15,000 cheque for a family vacation, and $5000 to your child's school for healthy initiatives)! There's a secondary prize of a trip to Toronto for 4 (2 adults, 2 children) to a "Celebrity Chef Experience" with Corbin Tomaszeski. Just prepare any 1 out of 36 of the featured recipes using Uncle Ben's rice, take a photograph (including the Uncle Ben's product that was used), and give a photo description. GOOD LUCK in the contest!

ENTER Uncle Ben's Canada Contest HERE

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Do you cook with your kids or grandkids?  What items have you taught them to make - or would you like them to learn?