Pan-Seared Tilapia with Roasted Red Pepper Salsawith lemon-herb quinoa
We're starting the week off right with a healthy meal that's loaded with flavor! Tilapia gets a boost with a simple salsa made from roasted red peppers and tart capers.
Ingredients
- Bell peppers, red - 2
- Red onions - 1/4, minced
- Tilapia fillets - 1 lb
- Red wine vinegar - 1 tsp
- Capers - 1 Tbsp, drained
- Lemons - 1/2, wedges
- Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp
- Quinoa, dry - 1 1/2 cups
- Chicken stock (or water) - 3 cups
- Broccolini - 1 bunch, ends trimmed
- Lemon juice - 2 Tbsp
- Parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped
- Goat cheese - 5 oz, crumbled
- Olive oil - 1 Tbsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Quinoa - This makes enough for Thursday’s meal. Run quinoa in a strainer under cool water for ~2 minutes. Heat in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted. Add water or stock. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover. Cook until liquid is absorbed, ~15 minutes. Remember to reserve half for Thursday. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Cook broccolini - Chop broccolini into bite-sized pieces and place into a microwave-safe dish. Toss with some salt. Cover with a wet paper towel and microwave for 2 ½ to 3 minutes, until broccolini is tender but still crunchy. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Roast red peppers - Turn on the oven’s broiler. Core stem out of red peppers and cut in half. Broil peppers on a sheet pan, skin-side up, until charred, ~5 to 7 minutes. Place in a mixing bowl and cover with a plate for ~5 minutes to steam off skins. When cool enough to handle, peel skin off of red pepper and discard. Roughly chop pepper. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Red onions - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Tilapia - Rinse and dry fish. Lightly salt and pepper.
- Make salsa - Combine red peppers, onions, vinegar and capers. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Lemons (for fish & quinoa) / Parsley / Cilantro / Goat Cheese - Prep as directed.
Make
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and tilapia. Cook until well-seared ~4 minutes. Flip and sear other side until cooked through ~4 minutes.
- Toss half of the quinoa with broccolini, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, goat cheese and olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper. (Remember to refrigerate the remaining half of the quinoa for Thursday's meal!)
- Serve tilapia with salsa and lemon wedges. Enjoy with lemon-herb quinoa on the side!
Reviews
This meal has 68 reviews
Add salt, pepper, red wine vinegar to the salad. :-)
Made as written. Everyone loved it!
Salsa was delish. Subbed feta for goat cheese. Quinoa might be growing on me.
Love this meal, we make once a month with frozen tilapia loins from Costco. The helpings of salsa and quinoa are very generous so we often have leftovers of those.
Yes! This was really delicious. Quinoa was so unique and flavorful. My 2.5 year old loved the fish with salsa and kept asking for more!
Needed more time roasting the peppers, and added a couple minutes to cooking the broccolini. I wasn't sure how it would all come together, but it was great! We used the full amount of quinoa so the goat cheese was not overwhelming.