Grilled Tilapia With Quinoa And Avocado Salsa Verde Recipe

We'll be the first to admit that tilapia isn't exactly the most exciting fish on its own. That's partially what makes it such a great fish to have on hand, though. It works well in a pinch for a variety of recipes. For example, because it's neither oily nor watery, it can be cooked directly from frozen without compromising the quality. It's also a blank canvas for seasoning and sturdy enough to be cooked over a high heat like on a grill, which means it can be blackened and served with bright and zingy salsas and sides, too.

This recipe, written with developer Michelle McGlinn, showcases tilapia's versatility with summer-forward flavors like pineapple, avocado, and tomatillos. Bright, sweet, and slightly spicy, the flaky fish is first coated in an array of savory spices before being grilled. When done, it's paired with nutritious, hearty quinoa and black beans and topped with a charred tomatillo-avocado salsa verde. Altogether, the flavors are balanced, layered, and perfect for a long, warm evening outdoors.

This recipe is made up of three parts: The fish, the salsa, and the quinoa. To make the quinoa, you'll need quinoa (any color works, but we used white), black beans, and pineapple. To make the fish, you'll need four filets of tilapia, some olive oil, lime juice, honey, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. From there, to finish up with the salsa, you'll just need tomatillos, a jalapeño, garlic, cilantro, and avocado.

Heat the grill to medium-high heat.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, half of the lime juice, honey, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Pat the filets dry, then coat them completely in the spice mixture.

Place the tomatillos and jalapeño directly on the grill over direct flame. Grill until charred on each side.

Remove the peppers from the grill and remove their stems. Add the tomatillos and peppers to a food processor with the juice from the remaining half of the lime, the ⅛ teaspoon salt, garlic, cilantro, and avocado.

Pulse until smooth.

Place foil on the grill and lightly spray with oil. Add the fish to the foil and close the grill.

Grill for 5 minutes, then flip and grill for another 5 minutes, or until flaky.

To make the quinoa salad, first bring 2 cups of water to boil in a saucepan.

Add the quinoa and lower the heat to low. Cover and steam until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy, about 20 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked quinoa, black beans, and pineapple.

Serve the grilled tilapia over the quinoa with a spoonful of salsa on top.

Though the grill is made for being cooked on directly, there are a few reasons why you might want to put foil down first. While tilapia is a sturdy fish, it is flaky and can easily fall through the grates when you flip it or remove it from the grill. You may also want to cover the grates if someone in your family has a fish allergy, because the foil will better separate the fish from coming into contact with any other food. Putting foil or cast iron over the grates will cause a gentler cooking effect, making it more similar to an oven because the heat will be less direct. Taking all this into account, if you want a better char and deeper flavor and have some experience with flaky fish, you can definitely grill directly on the grates.

To prepare your grill, light the flames and brush the grates to clean away any residue. Allow the grill to heat to medium, then spray the grates with cooking oil. Add the marinated fish to the grill over direct heat and grill for 3 to 5 minutes, or until you begin seeing the opaque color on the underside. Carefully flip and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, then remove. This fish will have a darker color than our foil-cooked fish and may even blacken — don't worry, it only makes the dish even better.

When you're in a rush, charring peppers can seem like a monotonous step, especially when they're destined to be blended together anyway. The truth is, peppers and tomatillos really benefit from charring, especially if you have an open flame. This is because raw tomatillos can be sour, bitter, or acidic depending on their ripeness, and roasting or charring tomatillos brings out the natural sugars, resulting in a much sweeter flavor. Same story for the jalapeños: Raw, they can be bright, spicy, crunchy, and a little earthy, while cooked, they are much more savory, making them better to use in salsas.

You don't have to char the tomatillos and jalapeños on the grill, but since you'll be using it for the fish anyway, it makes the process seamless. If you don't have a grill and are adapting the recipe for indoors, simply roast or broil the veggies — or you can pan-sear them for similar results.