I know tilapia is one of the cheapest fish you can get from the grocery store, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make it super delicious! It’s a mild, white fish that will pretty much take on the flavors of whatever you decide to cook it with.
Here I’ve used really fresh, bright, classic flavors to make a pan-sauce to drizzle over the filet. I call it a 4 herb sauce, because that’s how many I had fresh in the house! Feel free to use your favorite herbs or what you have fresh and handy. I used 2 tablespoons (chopped) of a combination of the following: dill, thyme, parsley, and chives. And I chopped a little extra for sprinkling at the end.
I’ve been trying to find other uses for my rice cooker besides only using it to cook rice. I figured it would be an easy way to cook the quinoa for this recipe.
I added the quinoa, some chicken broth and water, some minced garlic, and a sliced serrano pepper, gave it a quick stir, and turned it on to let it do it’s thing.
It turned out perfect! The salad on top is just some arugula tossed in lemon juice to make it all pretty… and to freshen it up a bit. This was one of the easiest dishes I’ve made to be so good-looking and great-tasting, I need to start cooking like this more often! :)
- Add quinoa, chicken broth, water, garlic, and serrano pepper to a rice cooker. Stir to combine, and turn it on. Cook until done (about 20 minutes), checking and stirring 3-4 times during the process. Meanwhile, cook the fish.
- Heat 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet. Add fish filets and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until they flake easily with a fork. Transfer fish to plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add 4 tablespoons butter to the pan, and when it’s melted, add the shallot. Cook 3-4 minutes until soft and add wine, lemon zest and lemon juice. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer about 10 minutes until reduced about half. Stir in creme fraiche, 1 more tablespoon, and 2 ½ tablespoons herbs.
- Serve fish over quinoa and top with the herb sauce.
- Top with some arugula tossed in lemon juice. Garnish with the rest of the herbs.