Roasted Grouper Roulade with Spinach Pesto over Quinoa
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.
Roasted Grouper Roulade with Spinach Pesto over Quinoa
A simple yet elegant dish ideal packed with flavor and nutrition.
Ingredients:
- Spinach Pesto
- Quinoa
- 16 oz. Grouper or other white fish
- Heavy-duty foil
Directions:
- Spinach Pesto: Follow instructions from a previous post for my Spinach Pesto.
- Quinoa: Follow my instructions for the Quinoa with Spinach, Tomatoes and Onions, here.
- 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.
DO NOT cut completely through the flesh at the end. (I removed that extra piece on the side prior to slicing). 
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Refrigerate roulade for 1 – 24 hours.
- 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.
- With foil intact, place closely, individual roulades upright on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 5OOF degrees, for approximately 10 minutes in a convection oven, or approximately 15 minutes in a conventional oven .
- 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.
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