Today is Monday, which usually means a meatless meal in our house. And no matter how many sad faces My Official Treat Taster pulls, I'm sure for one night of the week he can go without a great big hunk of meat. Sometimes, I go half way and meet him in the middle by preparing a fish dish like these Mexican Tilapia Bowls. Bursting with flavour and loads of nutritious veggies, they taste so good that he doesn't even miss the meat....I wish!
This recipe for Mexican Tilapia Bowls is super fast, simple and healthy, which means you can get it on the dinner table on a busy weeknight (even on a Monday!) without pulling out every single ingredient in your cupboard and still feel like you're enjoying a healthy meal.
Although there are way more cod recipes floating around on the internet than there are tilapia recipes, I find that both fish taste so similar that you can pretty much interchange them and you'll get the same result. I always use tilapia because it's much cheaper than cod, but feel free to use whichever white fish you prefer or have available.
See those orange and beige sticks at the top of the plate in the photos? They're actually carrot and swede sticks. You won't find them in the recipe card below because they're not really taco recipe ingredients (and the whole taco flavour thing is really what this dish was inspired by) and since the beginning of the summer I've been shoving extra veggies in my meals wherever I can fit them.
No idea why my body suddenly wants fruits and vegetables - maybe it's a sign that I've been eating way too many delicious desserts recently.
Normally, I never really go a bundle on rice recipes because I just find rice boring and bleh. But because it plays such a tiny part in the massive production that is Mexican Tilapia Bowls, I really don't mind it. If you hate rice, too, you could skip it altogether or substitute something like quinoa or couscous in its place.
I used a homemade taco seasoning to flavour the tilapia, but feel free to use your own favourite homemade version or even the store-bought stuff. What I love about this recipe is how fast it all comes together and if you've got to spend time mixing a handful of herbs and spices together to make the marinade, that sort of defeats the object of a fast meal, right?
Which white fish do you prefer to eat in your house - cod or tilapia?
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- 1 tablespoon vegetable/sunflower seed/canola oil
- 2 tilapia fillets
- ½ red onion
- ½ red pepper
- ½ teaspoon vegetable/sunflower seed/canola oil
- ¼ cup sweetcorn
- ¼ cup black beans cooked and drained
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes quartered
- ridiculous amounts of fresh coriander or none I love the stuff!, if you hate it
Instructions
- Mix the taco seasoning with the oil and place it into a Ziploc bag with the tilapia fillets. Shake the fish around inside the bag so it's well coated with the seasoning and leave to one side for 10 minutes to marinate.
- Finely slice the red onion and red pepper and place them into a frying pan with ½ teaspoon oil.
- Cook over a medium heat for around 15-20 minutes until cooked to your liking, stirring regularly to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Meanwhile, place the sweetcorn and black beans into two individual bowls and warm in the microwave for a few minutes until piping hot.
- Heat a large pan over a medium-high heat and cook the two tilapia fillets for around 5 minutes on either side, until golden brown on the outside and completely cooked through and piping hot in the middle.
- To assemble, place small portions of the red onion and red pepper mixture, sweetcorn, black beans, cherry tomatoes and fresh coriander around the plate. Top with one tilapia fillet and serve immediately whilst hot.
Shannon {Cozy Country Living}
Yum! These look really good Nicola! I can't wait to try them:)
AnnMarie
I make a similar taco bowl with tilapia but this is different enough to try. Looks so good! Pinned!
Kori
I haven't really tried cooking with Tilapia yet, but this just might get me to do it. I'm picky about how it's served.
Thank you for sharing with Share Your Stuff Tuesday!
Marilyn
OMG this looks absolutely delicious! I LOVE fish & I LOVE Mexican spices PLUS on the table quickly! I co-host a weekly link party and I'd LOVE for you to share this amazing recipe! TGIF! http://www.4you-withlove.com/2014/09/5-storage-organizing-ideas-project.html
Miz Helen
I love what you did with this bowl, this is just fantastic! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Ginger
Two of my personal favorites; Tilapia and just about any Mexican foods. Looks great! Thanks for linking up to Gingerly Made!
Miz Helen
Congratulations!
Your recipe is featured on Full Plate Thursday this week! Enjoy your weekend and your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen
Laura@Baking in Pyjamas
How healthy and delicious, I love meals like this. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!