Tilapia with a Mango Avocado & Cilantro Salsa

I love mango. I love fresh mango. But I am THE WORST at choosing the right time to cut into a mango from a ripeness perspective. I’m also terrible at cutting a mango. I usually end up eating it standing over the sink and like an apple, trying to get as much around the pit as possible because I want to get my money’s worth on this more expensive fruit. Fresh mango would be amazing in this dish. If you have the mango skills, than by all means, please use a fresh mango! For those of you who may be more like me….I just use frozen mango. Dice it up as it’s thawing out and you’ll be good to go! This dish is a go-to when I need a quick and easy weeknight meal that’s fresh, filling and nutritious.

I make the salsa while the rice cooks and while I let the frozen fish thaw in a bowl of lukewarm water. Any white fish will work…mahi mahi, tilapia, cod….I just happened to have some frozen tilapia loins stashed in the freezer when I made and photographed this recipe.

For the rice, recently I’ve been making a mix of half white short-grained sticky rice with half cauliflower rice. I know this sounds weird to do half and half, but there is no taste difference, and I actually like the slight texture difference that the cauliflower adds to the rice. I do this to swap out some starchy carbs for non-starchy vegetable carbs to make the meal more nutrient dense and also less calories. Feel free to use whatever kind of rice or cauliflower rice you prefer!

The 5 ingredients you need for the salsa.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 tilapia filets, fresh or frozen (or any other white fish)

• Rice of preference

• Salt/pepper/cumin/paprika, to season the fish

• 1 Tbsp olive oil or avocado oil

• 1 Avocado, diced

• 1 Mango, or 1 cup frozen mango, diced

• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup cilantro leaves prior to chopping)

• 1/4 cup red onion, diced (about 1/4 of a red onion)

• 1 Lime, juice of

Instructions:

1. If using frozen fish, take out of the freezer and thaw individually packaged filets in lukewarm water. If using frozen mango, measure a cup of mango chunks and also being to let thaw.

2. Start cooking your rice.

3. Dice the red onion first. Macerate these in the juice of half the lime. (This takes the bite out of the red onion). Let this sit for about 15 minutes.

4. While the red onion macerates, chop the cilantro, and dice the avocado and mango.

5. Season the fish with salt, pepper, cumin & paprika. (I don’t measure, just shake from the containers).

6. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat, Add oil and begin to sauté fish, 3-4 minutes per side depending on the thickness.

7. Stir the salsa together (mango, avocado, cilantro, and macerated red onions in lime juice. Add more lime juice from the remaining half of lime and pinches of salt to taste.

8. Spoon the salsa over fish and rice and enjoy!

Step 3: Macerate the red onion in lime juice to remove the “bite” out of the raw onion.