Spicy fish with coriander and lime quinoa and simple salsa
Inspired by a trip to Mexico, this lovely fresh green sauce instantly perks me up and makes my kitchen feel sunnier on grey days. The whole recipe is quick enough to put together for a midweek meal and friends love it. For veggie friends, I like to rub the spices into sweet potato wedges or corn on the cob and grill them in place of the fish. The quinoa can be swapped for rice or buckwheat, if you prefer.
25 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY |
quinoa 120g, rinsed
black beans 400g tin, drained and rinsed ghee or coconut oil 1 tbsp
fish fillets (ask your fishmonger what’s in season) 2
smoked paprika 3/4 tsp
dried chilli flakes a pinch
lime wedges to serve
SIMPLE SALSA
tomatoes 2 ripe, diced
red cabbage large handful of finely chopped
extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
GREEN SAUCE
spring onions 4, trimmed
coriander a small bunch, stems included
garlic 1 clove, peeled
extra-virgin olive oil 8 tbsp
lime 1, juiced (save a little squeeze for the salsa)
dried chilli flakes a pinch 1 To make the salsa, mix the tomatoes and cabbage in a bowl with the olive oil, a squeeze of lime and some seasoning. Set aside.
2 Blitz the green sauce ingredients in a food processor and season.
3 Put the quinoa in a pan with 250ml of water and a pinch of salt and cook, covered, for 18 minutes (or following pack instructions). After 17 minutes, remove the lid, scatter the black beans on top and cook, covered, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
4 Heat the ghee in a frying pan over a high heat and add the fish fillets, spaced apart and skin-side down. Scatter over the spices and a pinch of seasoning, using the back of a spoon to pat them into the fish, then tip the pan so you can spoon over a little of the hot ghee. Cook the fish for 3 minutes on one side until they come away easily, carefully turn, lower the heat a little and cook for another few minutes until the flesh is just cooked through.
5 Meanwhile, gently stir the beans into the quinoa, along with half the green sauce, then divide between two plates and add a generous spoonful of salsa to each. Top with the fish as soon it’s ready and serve with the remaining green sauce alongside.
PER SERVING 971 kcals | fat 62.1G saturates 12.2G | carbs 54.9G | sugars 8.6G fibre 15.9G | protein 40.2G | salt 0.4G