Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Avocado Cream Sauce

If there is one type of cuisine I will simply never tire of, it is Mexican food. It is on our weekly menu at least two or three nights per week, and that’s when I exercise restraint. Seriously, I’ve had a longstanding and apparently insatiable quesadilla craving that has been going strong for months now. I try mix it up by rotating tacos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas and enchiladas – so well rounded, right?

Though I have other fish taco recipes that I already love, can you ever have too many good recipes for tacos? No way, man. This particular combo came to me a few weeks ago during one of our first warm weekends of the season. Though all of the components (tortillas, fish + marinade, salsa and sauce) are homemade, each is very simple so it still ends up being a fairly quick meal. It would also be a great one to prepare as a family or with a group of friends – assign one component to each person. The kids loved the meal just as much as we did. In fact, they loved it so much that we made them again the very next weekend. Bright, fresh, and perfect for enjoying with a classic margarita – just an all around awesome spring meal. Happy Friday, and have a fabulous weekend!

Yield about 4-5 servings

Ingredients

For the fish:

2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. olive oil, plus more for cooking
3 tbsp. minced cilantro
¼ tsp. cumin
¼ tsp. ground chipotle powder
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1½ lbs. white fish (halibut or tilapia)

For the salsa:

2 mangos, pitted, peeled and diced
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Juice of one lime
Pinch of coarse salt

For the sauce:

1 avocado, split and pitted
½ cup low-fat greek yogurt
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
Juice of 1 lime
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Corn tortillas, for serving

Directions

01
To make the marinade, combine the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, cumin, chipotle and garlic in a shallow dish or pie plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together until well blended. Place the fish in the mixture, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate about 30 minutes.
02
While the fish marinates, make the salsa and the sauce. To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl, and toss until evenly mixed. To make the sauce, combine the avocado, yogurt, garlic and lime juice in the bowl of a food processor or a blender. Process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
03
Add a drizzle of olive oil to a nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the fish to the pan in a single layer (in batches, if needed) and cook, turning once, until the internal temperature measures 135˚ F for halibut or 145˚ F for tilapia on an instant read thermometer. Transfer to a plate or serving platter and flake with a fork. Assemble into tacos with corn tortillas, fish, mango salsa and avocado sauce.