A Taste of Paradise: Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia with Mexican Pineapple Salad

Taste: ***
Difficulty: Easy
Cleanup: Quick

It’s been a long winter and although the days are getting longer and it’s a bit warmer, I am definitely antsy for spring and summer.  AdBuyer.com duties prevent us from getting to a sunnier climate so I decided to prepare a meal to remind us of a tropical paradise!

This meal — Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia with Mexican Pineapple Salad — couldn’t have been easier to prepare.  And, as a nice bonus, I was able to use up the remaining cilantro and chipotles-in-adobo I had in the fridge.  Very often I have to throw these leftover ingredients out, so I was excited by this recipe.

The fish has some heat to it so if you don’t like spice this might not be the recipe for you.

The real star of this meal though was the salad.  My local store was out of jicama so I had to improvise a bit.  I included a diced jalapeno and used two avocados.  The salad was just a delicious combination and helped counterbalance the heat of the fish.

I still wouldn’t mind lying on the beach but our tropical dinner was a nice little escape.

Cilantro-Chipotle Tilapia
Gourmet Magazine

• 1 1/2 cups chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped canned chipotles in adobo
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 (6-ounces) tilapia fillets

Preheat broiler.

Purée cilantro, oil, chiles with some adobo sauce, water, cumin, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a blender until smooth, then coat fish with sauce.

Line rack of a broiler pan with foil, then broil fish 3 to 4 inches from heat until just cooked through, 6 to 9 minutes.

Mexican Pineapple Salad
Gourmet Magazine

• 1 (3-pound) pineapple, peeled and diced
• 1/2 pound jicama, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 (7-to 8-ounce) avocado, cut into cubes
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

Toss together all ingredients with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.