Tilapia Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

When I wrote out the title for this post, I though to myself "that sounds really summer-y". The truth is, I am a little sad about the fact that summer is long gone and fall is almost over. You see, here in the mountains, we didn't really get a summer this year. It never got above 85 degrees and it rained a LOT. So maybe I made these tacos to try and trick our palates into believing it is summer again.

Wild caught tilapia was on sale at the store, and we had a pineapple on hand that was ripe and ready to be eaten. So I put my menu planning hat on and came up with this simple week-night creation!

The salsa. So simple. So delicious.

Tilapia seasoned and ready for cooking!

I like to get the pan really hot before adding the fish, that way it gets a nice crispy texture.

My secret to getting corn tortillas soft and tender. Get a few paper towels wet - then wrap a small stack of tortillas in them and microwave for 45 - 60 seconds. Perfect every time.

Roasted asparagus along side the tacos. Fresh grated parmesan on top!

Tilapia Tacos Recipe:

Serves 4

- 3 large or 4 small tilapia filets

- 2 tsp chili powder

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- Salt/Pepper

-Toppings of your choice (lettuce, cucumber, sprouts, lime wedges, sour cream)

- 8-10 corn tortillas (fajita sized flour tortillas would work just fine too)

- Pineapple salsa (recipe below)

Tilapia Tacos Directions:

- Season the tilapia filets with salt and pepper.

- Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium/high heat.

- When the oil is very hot, place the tilapia in the pan.

- As the fish cooks, break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula.

- Sprinkle chili powder over the fish while it cooks.

- The fish should only take about 5 minutes to cook.

- Season with salt and pepper to taste.

- Warm the tortillas, and build your tacos!

Pineapple Salsa Recipe:

Makes about 2 cups of salsa

- 1/2 cup finely chopped pineapple (fresh is best, but canned would be fine too!)

- 3 roma tomatoes, chopped

- 1/4 cup diced onion

- 2 tsp or 2 cloves chopped garlic

- 1-2 tsp chopped cilantro

- Salt to taste

Pineapple Salsa Directions:

- Mix all chopped ingredients in a large bowl.

- Season with salt to taste.

- Serve with chips and/or over tilapia tacos!

6 Steps to Cutting the Perfect Fresh Pineapple

The fresh pineapple. They always looks like such a good purchase in the store, and they're often on sale. But then you get home. And the pineapple sits, and sits. And 5 days later you realize "crap! I have to cut up that pineapple or it's going to go bad"! How many times has that happened to you? Countless times on my end. So I find myself trying to frantically cut up the pineapple at 7:30am on my way out the door to work so I can eat it during the ONE last day that it won't taste like some kind of fermented pineapple wine.

Luckily, I have a fool proof way to cut fresh pineapple. You'll love it, and your pineapple will thank you for it. In just 6 simple steps, you'll have chopped fresh pineapple ready to consume.

1. Twist the top off. It's as simple as it sounds.

2. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the top and the bottom off.

3. Take your knife and run it down the sides of the pineapple.

At this point, you probably want to pull out the trashcan or get a bowl to collect for your compost pile (if you're in to that kind of thing).

4. Cut the skinned pineapple into four wedges.

5. Take your knife and cut downward into the corner of each wedge to remove the core.

You'll be left with pieces of pineapple that look like this.

6. Chop it up however you please!

I put most of it in the fridge for later, but a few extra pieces wouldn't fit into the tupperware container... Ah darn, I guess I'll have to eat them.

Now you're ready for pineapple at breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snacktime. Pineapple chutney, salsa, or upside down cake.