You knew I had to do it. The ripe mango, the berries, the fresh herbs… omg how I LOVE this season!
This turned out awesome and it was the perfect compliment to jazz up a pretty boring fish meal.
How did the family react? Pretty much how I expected, except with one awesome twist!
First, the husband hesitantly tried the salsa. He said it was ok, but he would like it without the hint of lime. Considering his tastes, take that advice with a grain of salt. That being said, he devoured two fillets alone. So the fish was fine. He's just not a fruit for dinner type of guy.
Now, on to the Little Guy. He has never, ever liked fish. I think it's a texture thing. The only way I could get him to eat any is in fish stick form. In the past, when I made fish, I'd pop a few fish sticks in the oven for him. It's really the only time I ever make anything "special" for him for dinner.
Last night I decided it was going to end.
I piled dinner on his plate. A few scoops of rice, some peas, and a fillet cut into pieces with a side of the Mango Berry Salsa. I put the plate in front of him and walked away to grab my drink. Part of me cringed as I was waiting for the "I don't like this" whine to start.
To my surprise, when I got back to the table, ALL of the fish was gone except for one bite! I was like...
"OMG you like it?"
To which he replied, "Like what? The chicken?"
Side Note: Click here to see the t-shirt I made in honor of "the toddler" and his belief that all protein is "chicken." This STILL cracks me up.
"It's not chicken. It's fish. I thought you didn't like fish."
"I don't but I just ate it."
And that, ladies and gentlemen, makes the last 5 years of being a hard ass about having him try new things ALL worth it. Click here to see my approach to feeding picky kids.
I was so proud of him.
As for the salsa, he tried it, said he didn't like it, and I respected that. There were a lot of flavors in there and I'm not sure many kids would go for onions and fruits together. At least none that I know.
Here's what I did. Oh! And by the way, I LOVED IT!
Ingredients
- 1 ripe mango cut into small cubes
- 2 medium to large strawberries diced
- 3 raspberries quartered
- 2 thin slices of red onion diced
- 5 fresh mint leaves chopped
- 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 pinch of kosher salt
- 4-6 Tilapia fillets, depending on how many you are feeding
- Kosher Salt, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley
Instructions
Mix the mango, strawberries, raspberries, onion, mint, basil, lime juice and salt together. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.
When ready to make dinner, sprinkle both side of the tilapia with a bit of kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Cook each fillet about 4 minutes a side, based on thickness. You'll know it's time to flip them when the ends start to turn white.
Top the cooked tilapia fillets with a scoop of the salsa.
I served it with some quick fried rice made with carrots, summer squash and kale like this and peas.
It was an awesome meal!
📖 Recipe
Pan Fried Tilapia with Mango Berry Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 ripe mango cut into small cubes
- 2 medium to large strawberries diced
- 3 raspberries quartered
- 2 thin slices of red onion diced
- 5 fresh mint leaves chopped
- 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1 pinch of kosher salt
- 4-6 Tilapia fillets depending on how many you are feeding
- Kosher Salt garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley
Instructions
- Mix the mango, strawberries, raspberries, onion, mint, basil, lime juice and salt together. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.1 ripe mango cut into small cubes, 2 medium to large strawberries diced, 3 raspberries quartered, 2 thin slices of red onion diced, 5 fresh mint leaves chopped, 10 fresh basil leaves chopped, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 pinch of kosher salt
- When ready to make dinner, sprinkle both side of the tilapia with a bit of kosher salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and dried parsley.4-6 Tilapia fillets, Kosher Salt
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Spray with a bit of non-stick cooking spray. Cook each fillet about 4 minutes a side, based on thickness. You'll know it's time to flip them when the ends start to turn white.
- Top the cooked tilapia fillets with a scoop of the salsa.
Penny
I have made this two times now. The first time the husband just happened to bring home a mango. The second time the husband requested we make the salsa. He says he could eat it everyday. He loved it. The only thing I didn't have was the mint. Another A+ recipe. Thank you!
Noelle
I made this tonight! A big hit with my family! I used peaches instead of mangos and added a jalepeno and cilantro because that's what I had. I dusted the fish with some chipoltle chili powder and cumin. Very good! I served it with a vinegar based slaw and black beans with guacamole.
Christine
I made your salsa (well, it was close using what I had on hand) to serve over grilled cod and my son declared, "You should bottle this and sell it!" I guess you have a winner. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Mary Nell
Love Little Guy's response!
Amy @ A Little Nosh
My son calls salmon "pink chicken". We haven't corrected him.
Jami
If we didn't have hospital tours tonight I would be going to the store after work to get everything for this. It sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe Roni!
Leanne
I love little food victories like this! Our son is 2 and he's going through the "dip" stage. He'll eat pretty much any meat as long as it comes with ketchup, bbq sauce, mustard or A1. He doesn't use all that much of whatever sauce we give him but he likes to dip... so tonight he had tilapia dipped in ketchup. Mmm, mmm good! 😉
Cindy M
I love fruit salsas! Especially over fish! I can't wait to make this - I'm going to put it over swordfish - Ryan may like swordfish as it has more of a tender porkchop texture! You are so creative Roni and congrats on the fish victory with Ryan - your hard work is obviously paying off! 🙂