Cilantro Cream Sauce Tilapia With Mango Salsa

This is a special post from our trip out west. It was our last night in California & we wanted to make something extra yummy. I was totally amazed by the grocery stores out there! The variety of fresh produce was endless and selection of unique foods was incredible. Alison about had me convinced to move out there just by taking me to the grocery store! Anyways, for this meal, we combined ideas from several different recipes to come up with a feast, and perhaps went a little overboard. The cilantro cream sauce is so delicious and could be used on any fish or meat. The salsa was also super yummy. You could definitely do one or the other (sauce or salsa), we just couldn’t decide on a flavor so made both. We grilled some bread, corn and pineapple to go along with the meal. Again, all three aren’t necessary unless you’re feeling motivated/super hungry. If you’re short on time, I’d say go for the sauce and fish. You can always make the salsa as an appetizer. The couple that we stayed with, Alison and Adm, are both photographers so Michael was pretty excited about testing out some of their lights while shooting the pics. Overall, a very fun meal!

SALSA:

Ingredients

• 1 avocado, diced
  
• 1 cup mango, diced
• 1 jalapeno chili, seeded, finely diced
• 1/2 cup red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 cup finely diced cilantro
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Mix ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

FISH:

Ingredients

• 4 tilapia fillets (about 1 lb)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Prepare grill. Microwave butter to melt. Mix in lemon juice. Cover fillets with butter mixture and wrap each individually in foil.
   
2. Cook on medium-hot grill for about 8-10 minutes, until desired doneness.
   
3. Meanwhile, prepare sauce (or get a nice helper to start it for you). Once sauce and tilapia are both done, remove the fillets from the foil and top with sauce. Serve with salsa.

SAUCE:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger root, peeled and finely chopped
• 1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon pineapple juice

Directions

1. To prepare sauce, melt butter in a medium sauté pan until sizzling. Add garlic, ginger root, cilantro, and cumin and sauté for about 4 minutes or until fragrant.
   
2. Add soy sauce and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add whipping cream, and cook until slightly reduced or sauce coats the back of spoon, about 5 minutes.
   
3. Remove from heat and stir in lime and pineapple juices.