Mojito Tilapia | How Sweet It Is

Mojito Tilapia Taco Bites.

December 10, 2010

Break out the tequila shots.

Okay, I lied. Don’t break out the tequila.

Break out the rum!

Mr. How Sweet and I are huge fans of mojitos. And yes, Mr. How Sweet is willing to sacrifice his manhood and admit that. Even if he didn’t know I was planning on announcing it to the entire internet.

But that’s no big deal. If I really wanted to humiliate him, I’d mention his Hannah Montana obsession. Which is not even exaggerated. It’s quite odd.

I was lucky enough to find a lovely avocado in my grocery store, even though I had to sell my first unborn child for it. I just couldn’t make this recipe without it.

I’ve had visions of seafood and mojitos mixed in a recipe for months. I have a big notebook where I scribble my recipe ideas, grocery lists, foodie items I can’t afford, plots to destroy the turkey, bacon creations and Christian Louboutin wish lists that never leaves my side. I’m quite unorganized so you can just imagine what a trainwreck it is.

Last week, I was finally brave enough to try the mojito combination for lunch. I’m not sure what was holding me back. Perhaps it was Mr. How Sweet’s tight grip on the rum bottle? Either way, it took a bit of convincing, which was unusual.

I usually don’t need any convincing about rum come lunchtime.

I took a poll on Twitter and Facebook last night as to what sort of recipe you wanted to see today: sweet or savory? Savory won with an overwhelming majority, and I have to say that I agree. Is it possible to be cookie-ed out by December 10th?

If it is, you’re in luck. This is such a fun dish! The mojito tilapia can be made and served in a multitude of ways, but I chose to flake it and serve it on some crispy, baked whole wheat tortillas. I absolutely loved the layers of flavors and the citrus burst. This is now one of my new favorite ways to eat fish.

Anything that comes in “bites” is much more fun to eat.

Mojito Tilapia

serves 2

2-3 tilapia filets (about 8-10 ounces)

2 tablespoons rum

1/4 cup lime juice

2 teaspoons lime zest

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 avocado, chopped

1 shallot, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped mint AND/OR 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 4-inch (or small in size) whole wheat tortillas

In a bowl, mix rum, lime juice, garlic, sugar and 1 teaspoon lime zest. Season tilapia with salt and pepper and place in a ziplock bag; pour in lime juice mixture. Let marinate for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Fish may turn opaque and appear to be “cooked” (like ceviche) – you can use it this way, but I choose to cook it.

Preheat oven to 375. 30 minutes before cooking tilapia, cut tortillas into triangles, spritz with olive oil, season with salt and pepper,and lay on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes, watching closely and flipping halfway through.

You can either bake the tilapia (400 degrees for about 15-18 minutes, depending on how thick the filets are) or pan-fry it. Heat a skillet on medium heat and spray with olive oil. Cook tilapia for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Once fish is cooked, flake it with a fork and mix with chopped shallots, chopped avocado, remaining lime zest, cilantro and/or mint. I loved the combination or cilantro and mint, but I would suggest trying it before making an entire bowl of it.

Add a few spoonfuls of tilapia mix to tortilla chips. Garnish with sour cream or greek yogurt and salsa verde.