I have to start by saying I have NEVER cooked fish in my life. In fact, I don't normally enjoy fish. BUT, these tacos were delicious. Even my kids LOVED them, and they have never even eaten fish. When they started asking for seconds and my husband said this was the best meal he'd ever had, I knew I had to post this recipe.
There are four parts to this recipe, and I suggest you make the bean salsa and chipotle sauce a few hours in advance.
For the Bean Salsa:
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn
1-2 bunch of green onions, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2-3 tomatoes, diced
Combine above ingredients in a serving bowl, then in a separate bowl combine:
1 bunch cilantro, diced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 T. lime juice
1 1/2 t. minced fresh thyme or 1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
Add above ingredients to bean mixture and stir well. Cover and chill for two hours.
For the chipotle lime sauce:
1/2 cup low-fat mayo
2 T. lime juice
1-2 t. chipotle pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients together. Cover and chill for two hours.
For the fish:
4-5 individually frozen tilapia, thawed
2 T. lime juice
1 T. melted butter or substitute
salt and pepper
cooking spray
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (You could also grill them, but we don't have a grill!) Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. Place thawed tilapia a few inches apart on baking sheet. Combine 2 T. lime juice and 1 T. melted butter. Drizzle over both sides of tilapia. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until fish is flaky.
While the fish is baking...
For the crispy tortilla topping: (not pictured because my kids ate them all!)
5-7 white corn tortillas
oil for deep frying
salt
Cut uncooked corn tortillas into 1/2 inch by 2-3 inch strips. Heat a few inches of cooking oil in a deep pot. Once oil has reached frying temperature (about 170 degrees) place them in small amounts into the oil until lightly browned and crispy, then drain on a napkin and sprinkle with salt. If you want to skip this step you can use store bought chips, but these are light and crunchy!
To assemble tacos:
There really are several choices in serving these tacos. We used whole wheat tortillas and warmed them on a skillet. You could also deep fry corn tortillas and stuff the them with the fish and bean salsa. Layer tilapia, bean salsa, and chipotle sauce in preferred tortilla, then top with crispy tortillas.
