When I find myself unsure of what to make for the day, I often just go to the grocery store and peruse the aisles until something sparks my interest. Now, it's not necessarily the best idea to go shopping while hungry! Especially if you may be faced with the prospect of an untimely dish, like a soup or curry, that may even take hours to slowly simmer. Or a hummus or falafel that could take half a day or more! So, going into a culinary endeavor without an end game is always a gamble. But I like the mystery box-style of cooking where you pick a fun ingredient or two and start racing to figure out what to make with it! Hence the Blackened Tilapia Quinoa Salad.
So, today wasn't really all that different from a typical weekend where I decide to devote the day to cooking without quite knowing what that particular dish might be. It's a great way to explore new dishes and produce that you might not necessarily have thought of. Plus it helps keep things a little bit more exciting. I have a tendency to make the same tried and true dishes over and over again. And, while there is some comfort in the repetition and in making things that you know will turn out well. It does get a little boring sometimes.
Perusing the Grocery Store Isles
In the spirit of breaking the monotony! I am grocery shopping. Without a shopping list. Which, again, I don't necessarily recommend. But here we are!
The first place that I typically like to start is the produce section. It's usually the first section when you walk in and tends to be the best hunting ground for new and interesting produce. I've been making avocado dip dip lately, so I picked up a couple of avocados and limes. As well as some staple shallots, garlic, and tomatoes. Although nothing yet had quite screamed dinner out at me.
The next place that I typically end up is the cheese isle. I'm not sure why the fresh produce is always next to the gourmet cheese! And I always try to refrain from eating my body weight in dairy products. Although I do always check to see if something fun is on sale.
Next, I end up in the meat department. Now, I don't tend to eat a lot of meat, but I do like to pick up the occasional seafood. And today tilapia was quite on sale. Tilapia is a small white fish that's incredibly easy to cook. It has such a mild flavor that it works with a plethora of dishes and cooks in the fraction of the time of larger filets. I oftentimes make blackened tilapia with it and was thinking that that spice blend would go incredibly well with a savory quinoa and walnuts.
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Variations of Blackened Tilapia Salad
I'm quite fond of making fish dishes. I don't tend to eat a lot of meat, but grew up on the West Coast where salmon and dungeness crab are seasonally abound. I never really saw tilapia all that much. But it is an incredibly simple fish to cook and has quickly become one of my favorite dishes. The fish is so mild and small that it cooks in mere minutes. It's also such a delicate seafood that is largely devoid of that fishy taste that so many of us recoil from. If anything, it's more of a sweeter fish. So, it does incredibly well being covered in a savory spice blend. This week I made a big batch of blackened tilapia and have been exploring all of the ways to turn it into a salad and other dishes.
This blackened tilapia salad combines sweet potato, tomato, and lime quinoa with walnut avocado dip and cayenne, coriander, and smoked paprika tilapia. It's a quick and easy dish to toss together in a lazy afternoon as well as being a showstopper. The stunning tilapia is surprisingly easy to make, but packs a punch of flavor that is sure to impress.
Add all of the quinoa ingredients, except for the tomatoes and walnuts, into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients. Top with the spices and citrus juice. And then add the quinoa and water.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the quinoa is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, add the tomatoes and walnuts, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.Do not use a fork or other metal utensil. It will scratch off the nonstick surface on the rice cooker. This will leach teflon into your food and cause future dishes to stick to the bottom.
Avocado Dip
Add all of the avocado dip ingredients to a food processor. Process for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides occasionally.
Blacken Tilapia
Let the tilapia rest until it reaches room temperature.I usually let it sit while the skillet preheats. However, for particularly large fillet's, you may need to remove the tilapia from the fridge a little while before you preheat the skillet. Exactly how long varies widely based on room temperature. Although 15-30 minutes is usually sufficient.
Preheat skillet on medium heat.I use a cast iron pan, but the same basic principle applies in any skillet. If you aren't using cast iron, just make sure to lightly oil the pan to prevent sticking.
Mix the spices together in a small dish or bowl.
Sprinkle spice mix evenly over the tilapia. You can also lay them out across a plate and roll the tilapia in it. The goal is simply to evenly coat the fish with a thin layer of spices. As long as the flesh doesn't directly touch the skillet, you have enough seasoning.
Add tilapia, one or two fillets at a time, to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the spices have begun to blacken and the tilapia begins to firm.
Flip the tilapia and cook another 2-3 minutes, or until the spices have begun to blacken and the tilapia flakes with a fork.If you have any question about whether your tilapia is cooked, official recommendations are to cook until an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit. At this point the tilapia, much like a salmon, will begin to fall apart at the fat junctions and "flake" off of a fork. When you've done it enough times, you start to notice this particular type of firmness when the pieces ever-so-slightly begin to separate.
Assemble Salad
Place quinoa in the center of a plate.This is a great recipe to make the components of ahead of time. Everything keeps well for a couple of days and can be assembled later on. If you've prepared it ahead of time, reheat. the quinoa in a skillet over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes, or until heated throughout.
Add filet of tilapia and top with avocado dip, shredded lettuce, and a dash of salt and pepper.
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