Tilapia Tacos

Hi guys,

Yeeeeeees…. I’m alive; I know…I’ve been a very bad blogger lately. And the reason for that is I’m totally immersed in a new project that I can’t quite blab about yet. But all my efforts and spared time is in it. So fingers crossed…how is everybody enjoying the summer? Lots of new recipes out there…wow…sometimes I have a look at Foodgawker and Tastespotting and it blows my mind. You guys are doing great. I have a huge list of recipes bookmarked, yummy stuff. This recipe I tried here I saw on Giada’s program. I changed a bit here and there but I can tell you that this recipe is a keeper. It was the first time I used wanton wraps and I loved it. Its crunchy when you bake it and you can fill it with some goodness, yummm…and it was a breeze to make. Even after some sake shots. I don’t cook fish very often because I can’t stand the smell. Usually I bake salmon filets or Halibut, but always baked in the oven. So when I saw the recipe asking for pan-frying fish, I was worried that the house would smell fishy, but turns out that Tilapia doesn’t smell at all (if you get it extremely fresh) and it was delicious.

Tilapia Tacos

Ingredients:

Wonton cups:

• 12 (3 1/4 by 3 1/4-inch square) wonton wrappers
• ¼ cup canola
• 12-count nonstick muffin pan
• For the wonton cups: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Using a pastry brush, brush each side of the wonton wrappers with canola oil. Gently press the wonton wrappers into the bottom and sides of a 12-count muffin pan. Bake until lightly golden, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently lift the wanton cups out of the pan and cool completely, about 10 minutes.

Filling:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 Tilapia fillets (about 8 ounces total), cut into 3/4-inch pieces seasoned with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• 1 Avocado, halved, pitted and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 Mango, peeled and flesh cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 1 tomato seeds of cut into small cubes

 Direction:

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat drizzle the tilapia fillets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange the fish in a single layer in the pan and cook until the flesh is flaky and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Set aside to cool slightly.

Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped very thinly.
• Kosher salt black pepper

 Directions:

In a mason jar mix the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, salt and pepper. Give it a good shake.

To assemble:

In a bowl mix the Tilapia, the filling and coat with a bit of the dressing toss it gently so you don’t break the fish Then start filling the cups use the rest of the dressing in a little bowl so you can spoon more if you like.

Cook’s Note: The wonton wrappers can burn very quickly in the oven so check them after 5 minutes.