Mango-Avacado Salsa (with Fish Tacos)

Prep/Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Salsa:
1 medium mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 C. cubed avocado
1/4 C. chopped red onion
2 T. chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper
1 T. minced fresh cilantro
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. honey

Combine all ingredients. Serve over fish tacos.

Fish for tacos:
A mild white fish, such as halibut or tilapia
Salt and Pepper

Sprinkle both sides of fish fillets with salt and pepper to taste. Grease grill racks and grill on high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Serve with warm tortillas. Other toppings may be added to taste, such as lettuce.

I will just say right now that this is our newest favorite summer meal. We've been making this once a week since I first tried it. If you've never had a fish taco, you might be saying, "This is not for me." Let me tell you that even my KIDS eat this and they are quick picky with most things! The fish is so mild that you can barely taste it---it's really the texture that counts here. The salsa MAKES the taco and it's amazing!

Family Chef's Grade: A+

Potato-Crusted Snapper

***This recipe was found in Taste of Home magazine, submitted by Athena Russell of Florence, SC***

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 eggs, beaten
1-1/2 C. mashed potato flakes
2 tsp. dried thyme
4 red snapper fillets (6 oz. each)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 C. olive oil

Place eggs in a shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, combine the potato flakes and thyme. Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper. Dip in eggs and coat with potato mixture.

In a large skillet, cook fillets in oil in batches over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.


Okay, so I finally cooked red snapper!! I found it at a higher-end grocery store near us, and I'm glad to know where to find it now. As I've said before, my family is a fish family. We love our walleye, we love our shrimp and salmon. Now, we love our red snapper, too! This was SO GOOD and so crispy. I know that the picture above is kind of funny since I just took a picture of ALL the fish that I fried, but believe me when I say that there were no leftovers to be had. We all ate this up so quickly that I'll probably have to make an extra fillet or two the next time I make this.

Family Chef's Grade: A

Southern Pecan Catfish

***This recipe was found in "Best Simple Recipes"***

Prep/Total Time: 30 minutes

1 C finely chopped pecans, divided
1/2 C cornmeal
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp pepper, divided
4 catfish fillets (6 oz. each)
1/2 C butter, divided
1/2 C heavy whipping cream
2 T lemon juice
1 to 2 T minced fresh parsley

In a shallow bowl, combine 1/2 C pecans, cornmeal, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Coat catfish with pecan mixture. In a large skillet, melt 1/4 C butter over medium-high heat; fry fillets for 6-7 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with fork. Remove and keep warm.

In the same skillet, melt remaining butter over medium heat. Add remaining pecans; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add the cream, lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Spoon over catfish.

Yield: 4 servings


I have never cooked catfish before but it was surprisingly easy to find at the store, and my family loves fish so I thought I'd try it. For some reason, because there were pecans in the recipe, I thought maybe this would be sweet but of course, there are no sweet items in the ingredients!! It was really good and really quick, as are most of the recipes I've tried this week. My kids liked it and my husband loved it. (The sauce really added something to it, too!)

Family Chef's Grade: A-

Chipotle-Sparked Mustard Salmon

***This recipe was found in Taste of Home magazine, submitted by Helen Conwell of Fairhope, AL***

Prep/Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

6 salmon fillets (4 oz each)
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup prepared horseradish
1/4 cup stone-ground mustard
1/4 tsp. lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tsp. minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 tsp snipped fresh dill

Family Chef's substitution: I could find the chipotle pepper they referred to, so I used a ground chipotle pepper that I already had in my cupboard.

Place salmon in a foil-lined baking pan. Combine the mayo, horseradish, mustard, lemon-pepper and the chipotle pepper. Spread over fillets.

Bake at 350* for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle with dill.

Salmon is salmon in my opinion but the glaze on this was FABULOUS! It was just spicy enough to add a kick and also lots of flavor. My husband is a big horseradish fan so he loved it as well. I'll be trying this topping on more kinds of fish soon, too!!

Family Chef's Grade: A

Crispy Crusted Red Snapper

***This recipe was found on Cuisine at Home (.com)***

1 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
1 cups leeks, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1 T. garlic
4 red snapper fillets (6 oz. each), boned and skinned
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup crushed potato chips
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 T. butter, melted

Preheat over to 450*.

Combine first four ingredients in a bowl. Spread on a greased baking sheet.

Arrange fillets on top of vegetables; season with salt and pepper to taste.

Combine crumbs and next four ingredients; toss with melted butter. Divide crumb mixture evenly over each fillet, pressing into the fish. Bake 20 minutes, or until fillets flake easily when tested with a fork.

Yield: 4 servings


Okay, I have a confession to make: I make this recipe ALL THE TIME....but have never baked red snapper in my life. My secret is that I use this recipe to bake WALLEYE!! The recipe says that you can substitute red snapper with flounder or tilapia. The first time I was going to make this, I couldn't find red snapper anywhere and have had bad luck with tilapia in the past. My family will eat walleye likes it's going out of style, however, so I tried it with them and it was a hit! My husband and I love leeks now (all because of this recipe) and my kids even eat the crispy crust of this fish without one complaint---which makes my life easier!

Family Chef's Grade: A+