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Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa

February 21, 2017

Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa are a quick and easy, flavor-packed dinner the whole family will enjoy.

Overhead Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa

Happy Tuesday! Do you know what today is? Well, it’s the 21st of the month, which means it’s Recipe ReDux reveal day and since this month the 21st is a Tuesday, this month’s theme is Taco Tuesday!

I couldn’t be more excited! We love tacos in my house. It is by far one of my girls’ favorite meals and one I never have to worry they will eat. While I have previously shared my steak tacos and chipotle beef tacos, fish tacos are actually my go-to for taco night.

Early on in this blog’s existence, I shared my recipe for fish tacos, but over the years I’ve made so many variations of that original recipe and the pictures from the original are so bad that it was time to share a new and improved fish taco recipe (if you’re really curious about the original, you can search for it – I’m too embarrassed to post a link!).

These Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa are the perfect tacos for the winter months when it’s pretty much all citrus all the time in our house. The basics of the recipe are so simple that you can change it up by season: in the spring serve these fish tacos with my spicy cherry chutney and in the summer serve them with watermelon salsa, corn & black bean salsa, or the nectarine salsa featured in the steak tacos mentioned above. So many delicious combinations, right?! But let’s get back to this one.

Close Up of Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa

Baked Fish Tacos

While most fish tacos you find in restaurants are breaded and fried, I always bake or grill the fish for tacos at home (and when out I ask for the same). The fish for these tacos is very simply prepared. I use tilapia fillets because they’re economical, easy to find at pretty much any fish counter, and very mild tasting, which is perfect for letting the flavors of the citrus salsa shine through.

To make the fish, I brush both sides with olive oil, drizzle with lime juice, and season with a little Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. That’s it! Bake it in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes while you’re making the salsa and your protein is done. Really can’t get easier.

Refreshing Citrus Salsa 

To make the citrus salsa, you can use any combination of citrus fruits you prefer. For this recipe I used pink grapefruit, Cara Cara oranges, and blood oranges. However, if all you have on hand are traditional naval oranges, then just make it with that and if you have ruby red grapefruit add some too.

Overhead Close Up Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa

The trick when preparing citrus fruits is to cut away the peel and white pith of the fruit, and for grapefruit you only want to use the fruit segments and discard the membranes, which can be bitter. (I don’t mind having the membranes on the oranges, but you can remove them as well if you prefer.)

I highly recommend separating the grapefruit segments over a bowl to catch the extra juice, some of which will be used in the salsa and the remainder of which can be used for salad dressing (like this Citrus Yogurt Vinaigrette), marinades, and sauces. 

Once you have your grapefruit and orange segments, cut them or break them into smaller bite-sized pieces and combine them in a bowl with jicama, avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, some of the reserved citrus juices, lime juice, and salt.

You don’t need to worry about the avocados browning in this salsa thanks to all the acidity from the citrus, but I do recommend not letting the salsa sit for longer than 30 minutes before eating, otherwise it may be mushy since there’s so much juice in these fruits.

To serve the tacos, warm up whole-grain corn tortillas and top them with the flaked tilapia and a couple of tablespoons of citrus salsa. Garnish with extra cilantro and enjoy!

Happy Taco Tuesday everyone!

Hand holding Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa

Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa are a quick and easy, flavor-packed dinner the whole family will enjoy. Get the gluten-free, dairy-free recipe @jlevinsonrd.

Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa

Yield: 4
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Fish tacos are quick and easy to make and nutritious and delicious to eat, making for a winning dinner in my house. Top with this bright and refreshing citrus salsa during the winter months, and when the seasons change use different seasonal fruit like watermelon, nectarines, and cherries. Serve on whole-grain corn tortillas for a gluten-free, dairy-free meal the whole family will enjoy!

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Kosher

Ingredients

For the Fish:

  • 1 pound tilapia fillets (~2 fillets)
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste

For the Citrus Salsa:

  • 1 grapefruit
  • 2 Cara Cara or naval oranges
  • 2 blood oranges
  • 3/4 cup diced jicama
  • 1/2-3/4 cup cubed avocado (1 small avocado)
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion (~1/4 large onion)
  • 2 teaspoons seeded & minced jalapeño (add seeds if you want some heat)
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 teaspoons lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

To Assemble:

  • Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
  • Chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

To make fish:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place tilapia in a baking dish, brush both sides of fillets with oil, drizzle with lime juice, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Cook fish for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through (cooking time will vary based on thickness of fish).
  3. Remove fish from the oven and use a fork to break fillets into smaller pieces.
  4. While fish is cooking, prepare the citrus salsa.

To make citrus salsa:

  1. Remove the peel and white pith of the grapefruit. Cut the grapefruit segments over a bowl to catch any of the juice. Discard the membranes and cut or break grapefruit segments into smaller pieces.
  2. Remove the peel and white pith of all the oranges. Cut orange segments into smaller pieces (remove membranes if preferred).
  3. In a medium bowl, combine grapefruit and orange pieces, jicama, avocado, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, 2 teaspoons of reserved citrus juices, and lime juice. Season with salt and toss to combine.

To serve:

  1. Wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towel and microwave 30 seconds to warm, or wrap in foil and warm in oven for a few minutes.
  2. Top tortillas with flaked fish, a couple tablespoons citrus salsa, and chopped cilantro, if using.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 taco
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 453Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 621mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 12gSugar: 15gProtein: 35g

Nutrition information was calculated by Nutritionix. It may not be 100% accurate.

What’s your favorite taco pairing?

Share with me in the comments below!

Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa with Text Overlay

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  1. Love a good fish taco and the citrus salsa sounds amazing and would pair perfectly with them. I’ll have to give it a try the next time I make them.

    1. Thanks Anne! We just got back from an island-vacation actually and had so much fish and ceviche and this really reminds me of what we ate. Was so good!

    1. Thanks so much EA! Oh, I’ll have to check out your Cara Cara salsa! And let me know if you and your taco-loving family give this a try!

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  4. These look super yummy! I’d have to make it without the grapefruit. Think it would still be good with mandarins to keep the citrus in there?

  5. I don’t think I ever would have thought to put citrus fruits in my fish tacos. Grapefruits are my favorite though. I’m going to have to give this a try!

  6. These images make me so hungry. I haven’t thought about using citrus in tacos. I’m going to try that idea next week! 🙂

  7. I’ve never tried making my own fish tacos but I love em’! :D!! These look delicious and I love that you made em’ citrus-y!

  8. This looks so fresh and delicious! I love fish tacos with a mango salsa…never had it with grapefruit but now I want to try!

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