I visited my parents in June as I always do to celebrate my birthday, my mom’s birthday, and Father’s Day. The three occasions fall within a week of each other, so we typically round up the
family and knock out three birds with one stone. I flew to Los Angeles on the eve of Father’s Day, and stopped with my parents for a quick sushi dinner on the way home from the airport. Sunday would be our big day to celebrate together. And because my family is all about good food, the festivities were sure to involve good eats of one kind or another.
But sometime Sunday morning I realized that my dad, who is the head chef of our family, wanted nothing more for Father’s Day than to be left alone to toil over his woodworking in the garage. He was building a cabinet for my mom and was “almost” finished, he kept saying. At this rate, dinner would be ready sometime close to midnight. Getting a reservation at a decent restaurant this late in the game seemed unlikely, so I decided to do a daughter’s duty and cook. Grilling sounded like a good idea, and fish with summer veggies sounded even better.
I suggested salmon but my mom had her heart set on tilapia, which presented a challenge. Tilapia is too delicate to cook on the grill; it sticks to the grill bars and generally falls apart in a big mess. So I had to innovate with a bit of tinfoil. I wrapped seasoned tilapia fillets in foil packets, stuffing the packets with slivered green onions and chopped cilantro, and cooked the packets on the grill for about 12 minutes. I served the fish with Moroccan couscous, summer vegetable skewers, coleslaw, and a nice toasted baguette. The best thing about this meal is that the fish is nearly effortless, and both the coleslaw and the couscous can be made well in advance. All of this meant that while my dad was toiling in the garage, I was lounging by the pool with my mom and sister. We all got to enjoy the day and we still had a decent dinner together.
We ate in my parents’ warmly lit dining room as the sun went down, and my dad remarked that a happy dad is one who doesn’t have to cook on Father’s Day. 
“Grilled” Tilapia
8 tilapia fillets, seasoned with Paul Prudhomme’s “Seafood Magic” Seasoning Blend, salt, and pepper
12 green onions, washed, trimmed, and quartered lengthwise.
2 small bunches of cilantro, rinsed and dried
2 lemon wedges
2 sheets of tin foil, about 10 inches square, rubbed on one side with a bit of olive oil
Heat grill to medium heat. Season all sides of the tilapia fillets. Place four fillets on the oiled side of one foil sheet. Place half of the green onions and one bunch of cilantro on top of the fish, then sprinkle with lemon juice. Fold the edges of the foil around the fish neatly and press edges together to seal. Repeat with remaining fish, green onions, cilantro, lemon, and foil. Grill for 10-12 minutes over a medium flame, or until the fish is white and firm. Unwrap the foil packets and remove the fish, discarding the cilantro and green onions.
For a photo of how your foil packet should look, check out my recipe for roasted apricots. It’s the same technique, on a slightly smaller scale.
