Tex Mex Tilapia Dinner Recipe
With Quinoa, Black Beans & Corn
My Tex Mex Tilapia Dinner with a side dish of quinoa, black beans and corn is a great easy fish recipe you can make for dinner.
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I love tilapia. It's just a great fish to work with... mild flavor, cooks in minutes, easy to find in the store and inexpensive. Even if you don't like fish much, I think you'll find you can stomach tilapia. It has a great texture, no bones to worry about and picks up flavors like crazy.
Tonight, I decided I was in the mood for some Mexican seasonings, so this is what I came up with...
Tex Mex Tilapia Dinner
Ingredients:
4 to 6 tilapia fillets (frozen OK)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. chili powder
4 cloves minced garlic
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt/pepper to taste
Dash onion powder
Few tablespoons lime juice
1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 cup corn
1 egg, beaten with a T. of milk
Directions:
Rinse the quinoa and get it simmering in a medium pot on the stove, with about 2.5 to 3 cups water. I also like to put in a tablespoon of chicken bouillon for extra flavor, but that's optional. Throw in a couple of cloves of roughly chopped garlic too. Cook for about 20 minutes until the quinoa kernels "pop" and it is tender to the taste (water should also be mostly absorbed).
While the quinoa cooks, prepare the breading for the fish by mixing the bread crumbs, spices (reserving 1 T. of the cilantro) and the rest of the minced garlic in a shallow dish or bowl. In another shallow dish, mix the egg, milk and a little lime juice. Dip the fish first in the egg/lime juice mixture and then into the breading, coating all sides of the fish.
Bake the fish on a cookie sheet sprayed with olive oil spray in a 425° oven for about 10 minutes, until breading is golden and the fish flakes nicely.
Meanwhile, mix the black beans and corn in a medium bowl. Add some lime juice and the rest of the cilantro. Also, add in the same spices you used for the fish, to taste. The idea is to get the same general flavor profile for both dishes. Mix the quinoa in with the bean/corn mixture.
When the fish is done, plate it with a large scoop of the quinoa side dish. Sprinkle both with a bit more fresh cilantro, if desired.
With the fish and quinoa, a super food filled with protein, you've got a very healthy meal here. You could make it even healthier by adding a green salad or a vegetable like steamed broccoli.
Variations
- Add some sauteed chopped green or red bell pepper to the quinoa for more color
- Pan broil or oven broil the fish instead of baking it
- Use lemon juice instead of lime juice
- Use Italian seasonings instead of the Mexican flavor profile
- Top the fish and the quinoa with some shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Use chick pea powder instead of bread crumbs
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