Pan fried tilapia and Quinoa with mushrooms and caramelised onions

I’m back in the kitchen this week, after a brief holiday hiatus, ready to whip up a pre-new year’s dinner for the family. Albeit, simple and no-fuss tilapia with my favourite super grain, gluten-free quinoa. Nutritious and protein-packed, simple yet delicious. A precursor to some heavy binging on New Year’s Eve!😉
I pan fried the tilapia fillets with a light coating of semolina and flour to give it a crispy exterior. For a zing, I decided to top it with a chimichurri, which is like a green sauce of Argentinian origin. A blend of parsley, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, garlic, and in my case, fresh dill and Dijon mustard too. Fresh dill and fish taste great together. And a dash of mustard adds creaminess and that tangy zing. Served with healthy quinoa, cooked with mushrooms and tossed with caramelised onions.

Servings 3

Ingredients:
Fresh tilapia filets – 6
Flour-1/4 cup
Semolina -1/4 cup
Lemon juice- 2 tbsp.
Salt and black pepper
Canola oil, for pan frying

For the chimichurri:
Fresh parsley – 1/2 cup
Fresh dill – 1/2 cup
Fresh oregano- 1 tsp.
White wine vinegar – 1 tbsp.
Dijon mustard – 1/2 tsp.
Extra virgin olive oil – 1/4 cup

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups stock or water
1 cup chopped red onions
1 tbsp. butter
6-8 mushrooms, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the chimichurri:
In a small food processor, place the parsley, dill, oregano and vinegar. Pulse or grind, while streaming in the olive oil, to a coarse consistency. Add the Dijon mustard and mix well. Set aside.

For the quinoa:

I used an organic rainbow quinoa mix, which is a blend

of red, white and black grains, bright and festive. Rinse the quinoa well with cold water. A great tip is to roast the quinoa in a pan for a few minutes for some added flavour and texture. Cook the quinoa with water or stock. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer, follow the package directions for cooking time. Usually takes 15-20 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork and set aside.

Sauté red onions in butter over low heat for about 20 minutes, till they start to caramelise and turn brown. Add mushrooms and sauté for 5-7 minutes. Add salt andpepper to taste. Remove from heat and add to the cooked quinoa, give it a stir and check for seasoning.

For the fish:
Mix flour and semolinafor the coating. Season the fish fillets with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Coat the fillets lightly in the coating mix, dust off excess flour-semolina. Heat oil in a large fry pan. Pan fry the fillets 3-4 minutes on each side, till the coating is light brown, crispy and fish is cooked.

Arrange fillets on a plate. Spoon the chimichurri on top. Serve on a bed of quinoa.