Julie Clark
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Chili Lime Tilapia with Mango Salsa
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Our favorite way to serve tilapia! Chili Lime Tilapia has an easy, but flavorful spice rub before you pan sear the fish. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and our fresh mango salsa recipe for a healthy dinner recipe. You may also love our paleo battered fish!
This Chili Lime Tilapia is a wonderful, low-fat dinner idea and is our favorite way to cook and serve tilapia. It’s bursting with flavor and takes only 10 minutes of prep and 30 minutes total. It’s an easy dinner!
If you love the chili lime flavor this recipe brings, use the seasoning mix on chicken, pork, or even on our baked cod recipe. And serve with our chili lime street corn, street corn dip or street corn pasta salad. It will make a fantastic dinner idea for Taco Tuesday!
This recipe makes just a small amount perfect for 2 people, which is perfect for us since it’s just Matt and I most of the time. If you have more in your family as we do, simply double the recipe.
What you’ll need:
- Mango. Use fresh mango for the salsa if you can get it, but frozen works in a pinch.
- Mint & Cilantro. Buy fresh herbs and snip them for the salsa. Mint may sound strange but will give such good flavor.
- Red Onion, Jalapeño Pepper and Red Pepper. This is the veggie base to your mango salsa, giving it a spicy kick.
- Lime Juice and Zest. This goes both in the salsa and on the fish.
- Chili Powder, Garlic Powder, Brown Sugar, Salt. This is the spice blend you’ll coat the tilapia with. Sweet and spicy, just like the salsa.
- Tilapia Filets. If you are concerned about the safety of eating tilapia, be sure to look for tilapia that is sourced from the United States. This means it will fall under food safety standards.
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. A heart-healthy oil to pan fry the fish in.
✨ See the recipe card for full ingredient amounts. ✨
Before you Begin
Tilapia is an easy, quick dinner because the fillets tend to be small which means they cook quickly. Some things to remember:
- It’s important to make sure that if the fish is frozen, you’ve completely defrosted it overnight (or in a bowl of water for 20-30 minutes) so that the fish cooks evenly.
- Pat the fish fillets dry before you add the spices. That way they’ll stick better.
- Mix up this easy chili lime spice in advance. You’ll have it ready to go for when you need a quick dinner. Store the mix in an airtight container in the fridge if you decide to do this.
Make Chili Lime Tilapia with Mango Salsa in 5 Steps
- Make the mango salsa. Combine the diced mango, red bell pepper, red onion and the jalapeños. Add the finely chopped cilantro and mint and mix. Add the lime juice and the salt and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt accordingly. Cover and refrigerate to develop the flavors for at least 2 hours.
- Combine the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, brown sugar and the lime zest. Mix well.
- Pat dry the tilapia fillets with a paper towel. Sprinkle the prepared seasoning mix liberally on both sides of the fish.
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Gently add the fish fillets. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, pan fry for 3 to 4 minutes on one side. Carefully flip and fry the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. To know the fish is done, use a fork on the thickest part and check to make sure it has a flaky texture.
- Transfer to the serving plate and squeeze lime juice over both the fillets. Serve by topping with the prepared mango salsa.
Make it a meal.
This is excellent served with arroz blanco and a steamed vegetable, but here are a few other options:
- Roasted Potatoes. One of my favorite side dishes for just about any recipe.
- Steamed Broccoli. With a sprinkle of salt and black pepper.
- Mexican Coleslaw. For a bit of crunch alongside your fish.
And for dessert, try no bake mango cheesecakes or our creamy mango fruit salad.
Other Healthy Main Dish Recipes
Chili Lime Tilapia with Mango Salsa
Our favorite way to serve tilapia! Chili Lime Tilapia has an easy, but flavorful spice rub before you pan sear the fish. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and our mango salsa recipe for a healthy dinner recipe. You may also love our paleo battered fish!
Servings 2
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the Mango Salsa
- 1 small mango (peeled, seeded and finely diced)
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapenos (seeded and membrane removed)
- 2 tablespoons fined minced cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fined minced mint
- juice of half a lime (reserve the other half for the fish)
- salt to taste
For the Chili Lime Tilapia:
- 2 Tilapia fillets, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen) (5-6 ounces for each filet)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- zest + juice of half a Lime
Instructions
For the Mango Salsa:
- In a medium sized bowl, combine the diced mango, red bell pepper, red onion and the jalapeños. Add the finely chopped cilantro and mint and mix. Add the lime juice and the salt and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt accordingly. 1 small mango, 2 tablespoons finely diced red bell pepper, 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion, 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapenos, 2 tablespoons fined minced cilantro, 1 tablespoon fined minced mint, juice of half a lime, salt to taste
- Cover and refrigerate to develop the flavors for at least 2 hours.
For the Chili Lime Tilapia:
- In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, garlic powder, salt, brown sugar and the lime zest. Mix well. 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon salt, zest + juice of half a Lime
- Pat dry the tilapia fillets with a paper towel. Sprinkle the prepared seasoning mix liberally on both sides of the fish. 2 Tilapia fillets, fresh or frozen (thawed if frozen)
- Heat the oil a nonstick or a cast iron pan over medium heat. Gently add the fish fillets. Depending on the thickness of the fillets, pan fry for 3 to 4 minutes on one side. ¼ cup olive oil
- Carefully flip and fry the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. You know the fish is done, when you poke on the thickest part and it flakes easily. Transfer to the serving plate and squeeze lime juice over both the fillets.
- Place the tilapia fillet on the dinner place. Top with the prepared Mango Salsa.
Video
Notes
- If using frozen fish, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Or place it in a bowl of water for 20 to 30 minutes.
- It’s important to rinse tilapia before cooking.
- How do you make tilapia not mushy? Fully thaw the fish and pat it dry. It should not be wet. And then do not overcook. The internal temperature of the fish should be 145ºF when fully cooked.
- Serve with rice and steamed or roasted vegetables for a complete meal.
Nutrition
Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 998mg | Potassium: 810mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2191IU | Vitamin C: 57mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg
delicious!! I used minced garlic from a jar and a little powdered garlic b/c that’s what we had available, and fresh premade mango salsa from the local grocery- but this recipe was AMAZING, so DELICIOUS, MOUTHWATERING! I will make it again in a couple of weeks, so yymmy with fresh tilapia! better I think than most restaurants!!! Made it for New Year’s Day with fresh roasted butternut squash and stuffed mushrooms, and a tossed salad.
Absolutely delicious – I’m not a huge fish fan but this recipe is a winner. So easy to make and just needed to grab a couple of tilapia fillets a mango and jalapeño, everything else I had on hand.
I made sure I cooked my fish at a high heat and ended up with a crispy flavourful coating.
I made the Chili Lime Tilapia with Mango Salsa recipe and I was truly blown away! Absolutely amazing recipe and so easy to make! I felt like a pro! Thank you for sharing your genius!
Can you grill this fish? And if so would you do it in a foil packet?
Wow only my second time making tilapia and this was so easy and flavorful! Definitely will make it again!
Made this for me and my lady. Fantastic. I made the salsa from scratch following this recipe. I did add more jalapeño as we both enjoy spicier foods. Absolutely terrific. I paired with fresh avocado slices and home made red rice. HIGHLY recommended.
This was great! I served it with a store bought mango pico, zucchini, and Zatarain’s adobo brown rice and black beans! I would use a little less salt in the rub next time. Can’t wait to make this again!
I made this with a few shortcuts. I used a mango salsa with is made locally and sold premade in the store. I made garlic lime green beans (microwave bag). Added minced garlic to the same pan I cooked the fish in. Added the green beans and the rest of the zest and juice of the lime from the fish recipe. A little kosher salt to taste. Tossed it all together. Such a good addition that was very quick to make. Add some toasted sliced almonds for texture. I also added a bag of organic thai coconut milk leek, lime… Read more »