The latest in the Cool Meals for Hot Nights series comes from Tara Burghart, the editor and founder of Go West Young Mom, a website for families in Chicago’s western suburbs. If you have a friend or family member who lives in that area, please make sure they know about this wonderful resource.
More from this series:
Week 1 – Farm to Table Frittata
Week 2 – Tuna and Shells
Week 3 – Crockpot Chili
Confession: I am scared of fish.
Clarification: I am scared of cooking fish.
But as a kid, I was scared to eat fish, too. I was sure that I was going to choke on a bone. I grew up in central Illinois, you see, far from any ocean, sea, large lake or mighty river. So my family just didn’t eat a lot of fish.
Still, I don’t cook seafood at home. I’m just sure that I’ll mess it up, or hate it and end up with a $25 grocery bill for fish that ended up in the trash can. Yet I have a few friends who cook fish regularly for their families, and rave about how quick it is and how nutritious and … yada, yada, yada.
So when I was browsing the web, looking for recipes for this “Cool Meals for Hot Nights” series, and I came across a recipe for Grilled Tilapia with Pinapple Salsa from Taste of Home, I decided I’d give it a try.
And you know what? It grilled very quickly, and my husband and I gobbled it up. It was a perfect meal on a night when the thermometer never dipped below 90 degrees. Our nearly 4-year-old daughter, however, was too distracted by the fact that we were eating fish to actually eat it. Looks like I better start preparing fish more often, or else I’m going to have my own kid who is scared of fish.
Grilled Tilapia with Pineapple Salsa
Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Source: Taste of Home June/July 2009
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
- 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
- 4 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 8 tilapia fillets (4 ounces each)
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the pineapple, onions, green pepper, cilantro, 4 teaspoons lime juice, 1/8 teaspoon salt and cayenne. Chill until serving.
Combine oil and remaining lime juice; drizzle over fillets. Sprinkle with pepper and remaining salt.
Using long-handled tongs, moisten a paper towel with cooking oil and lightly coat the grill rack. Grill fish, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve with salsa. Yield: 8 servings (2 cups salsa).
Tara’s Notes:
I used frozen tilapia filets that I thawed before putting on the grill. Hey … it was my first time cooking fish! But I’d like to try to use fresh tilapia next time.
I omitted the cayenne pepper from the salsa, because I thought it might be too spicy for my preschooler. Next time, I’ll put her serving of salsa aside and then add the cayenne pepper to the rest for the adults. I think the salsa could have used that little “kick.”
