Cajun-Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia with Moroccan Flatbreads

In a quest to continue the Moroccan theme (okay, the recipes are spilling over a bit each month) tonight features some freshly made Moroccan flatbreads. These traditional breads are a bit spicy but make a great snack on their own or a nice accompaniment to a meal. You can experiment with the spices inside as well as the amount of onion you pack into a bread to vary the spice level.

I serve the flatbreads with a non-Moroccan entree and vegetable. In fact, the fish is crusted in cornmeal and Cajun spice, giving it a crispness that matches the texture of the breads while providing a contrasting flavor. Finally, I rounded out the dinner with my Broccoli-Cheese soup. I felt the creaminess of the soup would help to calm any feverish tongues after the various spices in this meal!

Time: 1.5 hours
Difficulty: Medium

Moroccan Flatbreads
Time: 1.5 hours
I tend to give breads higher marks for difficulty since they involve more steps and paying attention, but the truth is that as long as you follow a recipe you will not have any problems. It just means staying organized - starting in time for your meal to finish when you want it, measuring out ingredients since in baking measurements DO matter, and paying attention to the time to ensure your dough gets the proper rising time rather than too little or too much. And that is just the case with this one. It's only scary if you let it be scary, so stay calm and let's get the recipe started!

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp. yeast
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1.5 c. onion, diced
1.5 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp. canola oil
(this recipe is based upon a similar one from Cooking Light)

Dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup warm water and then let it sit for 5 minutes. Then, add the flour and the salt. Stir until it is well-blended and smooth. At this point it should be a dough.

Put some flour on a counter-top, flour your hands, and turn the dough out onto the surface you prepared. Knead for five minutes and then form a ball out of the dough and put your bowl upside down over it. Let the dough rise for 15 minutes.

Uncover the dough and knead for another 5 minutes. Divide the dough equally into 8 pieces and roll each of them into a nice ball. Put them on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat the balls with cooking spray and then cover them with plastic wrap. Let them rise for another 30 minutes.

While those are rising combine the onion, olive oil, paprika, cumin, and red pepper in a bowl. Mix well to make sure the spices and oil are evenly coating the onion.

When the 30 minutes of wait time is up take a single ball out of the plastic wrap, keeping the rest covered so they do not dry out. Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 6.5" circle. The dough will be quite thin at this point. Put about 2 tbsp of the onion mixture into the center (you want to ensure you have enough for all of your dough circles so adjust accordingly if you think you will run out too early.) Fold the two long sides into the middle over the onion so that their round edges overlap and completely cover the onion. Fold a short side up over the top so it's seam is on the same side of the flatbread as the long seams. Fold the other short side UNDER the dough so its seam is opposite. Set this flatbread aside and repeat with the rest.

Now, add 1/2 tsp of your canola oil to a pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot add 4 of the flatbreads. Let them cook for 3-4 minutes and then flip them. Let them cook another 3-4 minutes. They should now be browned and crisped. If not, cook a little longer, flipping as needed. Remove from the pan and use your last 1/2 tsp of canola oil to cook the other 4 flatbreads the same way.

Cajun-Cornmeal Crusted Tilapia
Time: 20 minutes
Now it's time for the fish! This is the easy part, however. In fact, this entree comes together very quickly and uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, making it great to prepare some night when you are throwing together dinner last minute.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 tbsp. Cajun spice
1 lb. Tilapia
1 tsp. olive oil

Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a pan over medium to medium high heat.

Mix your cornmeal and cajun in a shallow bowl. Take each fillet of Tilapia and dredge it in the mixture on both sides. It should be well covered. Shake very lightly to remove excess. Place each fillet carefully into your pan.

Cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping halfway through. Your tilapia should be cooked all of the way through and the cajun-cornmeal mix should form almost a crust on the outside of the fish.

Eat immediately. For an extra flair serve with a fresh lemon wedge that can be squeezed over the fillets.