Roasted Grouper Roulade with Spinach Pesto over Quinoa

Grouper Roulade 6

I went through a phase several years ago where I loved creating everything in a roulade.  I think they’re so pretty and a nice way to present a dish.

After making some spinach pesto the other day I tried to think of something creative to use it on.  Then when I went to the fish market and saw their Grouper I decided I’d create a roulade with it. The green and white would look so pretty together and be a nice blend of flavors. 

If you’ve never made a roulade they’re really quite simple.  I presented one years ago for a television program making my recipe for Salmon Roulade over a Gazpacho Salsa.  You can get an idea of how it’s made by watching the video.  Below I show how it’s done, but the technique is best represented in the video for the Salmon Roulade (the clarity of the video has changed over the years).

I made the roulade with both Grouper and Halibut and each turned out equally as nice.  If you decide to give this a try, use whatever fish you like best.

Grouper Roulade 4

Roasted Grouper Roulade with Spinach Pesto over Quinoa

A simple yet elegant dish ideal packed with flavor and nutrition.

Ingredients:

Directions:

  1. Spinach Pesto: Follow instructions from a previous post for my Spinach Pesto.
  2. Quinoa: Follow my instructions for the Quinoa with Spinach, Tomatoes and Onions, here.
  3. Roulade: Place fish on cutting board and carefully butterfly evenly. Starting at the long side, make a horizontal cut with a sharp knife; continue to cut within an inch of the opposite side, opening the fillet like a book.                                                                                                                                Grouper Roulade                                                                                                                                                                                    DO NOT cut completely through the flesh at the end. (I removed that extra piece on the side prior to slicing).                                                                                                                                             Grouper Roulade
  4. Once opened like a book, cover surface with plastic wrap. Pound evenly but firmly with mallet, over entire surface about ¼-inch thick - be careful not to tear the fish.
  5. Remove plastic wrap. Place heavy-duty on counter, shiny side up and lay fish on top, (short edge) closest to you, and top edge of foil. With spatula, spread pesto covering side of fish facing up, leaving a ½ inch border along both ends.                                                                              Grouper Roulade 1
  6. Using the foil as a guide, lift edges with fish, to help make a roll. Continue rolling evenly, creating a cylinder. Be careful not to roll foil into the fish. Do not roll too tight but tight enough – it expands as it cooks, so cannot be too loose, or it will fall apart.  Twist ends to secure.   Grouper Roulade 2
  7.  Refrigerate roulade for 1 – 24 hours.
  8. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 500F degrees. With sharp knife, cut twisted foil ends of roulade, and discard – a bread knife works best. Cut roulade in 1/2 (leaving foil in place), then approximately 2 inches wide. Do not remove foil.                                                                        Grouper Roulade 3
  9. With foil intact, place closely, individual roulades upright on a foil lined baking sheet.
  10. Bake at 5OOF degrees, for approximately 10 minutes in a convection oven, or approximately 15 minutes in a conventional oven .
  11. To Serve:  Ladle place a large scoop of  the Quinoa in center of each a plate.  Set Roulade on top. Remove foil wrapping from around roulade,  drizzle with some room temperature Spinach Pesto and serve.                                                                                                               Roasted Grouper Roulade 8a

 Enjoy!!!

Hungry for more?  Savor these:

Grilled Grouper with a Quinoa Milange

Seared Scallops with a Pomegranate Drizzle

Freekah Tabbouleh with Lime Marinated Sirloin over Flatbread

 

 

 

 

 

 

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6 comments

  1. This is definitely my kind of dinner! I love fish and this is a great way to prepare it, Vicki.

  2. What a simple but fancy dinner Vicki! I love the bright green color of that pesto!

  3. A roulade makes such an impressive presentation! And I need to branch out and try with seafood. Your grouper sounds terrific!!!

  4. I’ve loved roulades ever since I first saw Julia Child prepare one. Such a neat way to cook, and it looks so nice on the plate. This is terrific — thanks so much.

  5. Now that you mention it, I haven’t had or cooked a meat roulade in ages! Love the take on your recipe, I am saving it for later. thanks for the great share vicki.

  6. Yes, I did enjoy the freekeh! I think I prefer farro, but need to do a side by side comparison to make sure 🙂

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