Island Tacos

I could live on an island.  Blue skies, palm trees, hammock, sunshine, umbrella drink and a stack of books.  And fish and fruit for dinner all the time.  It doesn’t sound too bad.  Okay, I’d probably be sick of it after a few weeks and miss the trees and rain, but I’m a little crazy like that.  But sometimes on rainy days (in June!) I pretend I’m on an island and cook something tropical.  And it makes me smile.

Island Fish Tacos

Island Fish Tacos

3 tilapia filets
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
Salt & pepper
1 cup pineapple, diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup diced red onion
Juice of one lime
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Corn tortillas
Salsa (optional)

Make pineapple salsa by combining pineapple, pepper, jalapeno, onion, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl.

Pineapple Salsa. Use on tacos or eat by itself!

Sprinkle fish with seasonings on both sides.  Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat.  Cook the fish 1-2 minutes per side until browned and cooked through.  They cook quickly, so keep an eye on them.

Tilapia cooking

To build tacos, put a piece of the fish (each filet will make 2-3 tacos) on a tortilla and top with pineapple salsa.  For some extra zip add a spoonful of your favorite tomato salsa on top.  Take a bite and let your taste buds dance the hula!

 

Tropical Tilapia Tacos

What do you do when you have a stack of tortillas staring at you?  Invent a new taco of course!  My daughter and I were trying to decide what we want, both throwing out ingredient ideas that sounded good, so instead of deciding on just one, we threw a bunch of them together.  The result?  A scrumptious, juicy, tropical fish taco I have a feeling will be reappearing on our menu all summer long.  And no, I don’t mean a taco made from tropical fish. That would just be wrong.

Claire suggested calling these “Speedy Gonzales Tacos” because they were so quick to make.  Somehow, that just didn’t sound right either.  Poor Speedy!  But you get the picture.  If you’re up for food in a flash, this is the recipe for you.

Tropical Tilapia Tacos

Tropical Tilapia Tacos

2-3 tilapia filets
1 tsp. cumin
Salt & pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 mango, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 poblano peppers
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
Corn tortillas

Turn the broiler on and place poblanos under it.  Cook until the skin is black, turning once.  Take out and put in a plastic or paper bag to cool and steam (makes it easier to remove the skin).  Sprinkle tilapia filets with cumin, salt & pepper, cayenne and garlic powder.  Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet.  Cook tilapia 2-3 minutes per side.  In a bowl, combine mango, pineapple, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and red onion.  Remove skin and seeds from poblano peppers, chop and add to the bowl with the fruit.  Toss to combine.  Warm corn tortillas in the oven.  Add a piece of fish and top with fruit and pepper mixture. Eat!

We served these with chips and my famous tomato/tomatillo salsa.

Tropical Tilapia Tacos with Chips & Salsa