Fish Fillets with Pineapple-Jalapeño Salsa
Serve simple sautéed fish fillets with jalapeno-spiked pineapple salsa for a Caribbean-inspired meal. Serve with black beans and brown rice.
From EatingWell: July/August 2011
Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
Salsa
- 1 small ripe pineapple
- 1/4 cup minced scallions
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeño pepper (about 1 large)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Fish
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound catfish, tilapia, haddock or other white fish fillets (see Notes), cut into 4 portions
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
- To prepare salsa: Cut the top and skin off pineapple, remove the eyes and core. Finely dice the pineapple (you will have about 4 cups diced pineapple) and place in a medium bowl. Add scallions, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno and oil. Toss to mix. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.
- To prepare fish: Combine flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow dish; thoroughly dredge fillets (discard any leftover flour).
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish, working in batches if necessary, and cook until lightly browned and just opaque in the center, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve each portion of fish with about 1/4 cup salsa each.
Tips & Notes
- Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the salsa (Step 1) for up to 1 day.
- Notes: Catfish: Look for U.S. farmed catfish—it’s sustainably raised in non-polluting inland ponds and fed a mostly vegetarian diet.
- Tilapia: U.S. farmed tilapia is the considered the best choice—it’s raised in closed-farming systems that protect the surrounding environment. Central and South American tilapia is considered a good alternative. Avoid farmed tilapia from China and Taiwan—where the fish farming pollutes the surrounding environment.
- Haddock (Scrod): To get the best choice for the environment, ask for U.S. Atlantic “hook-and-line-caught” haddock—this method causes the least damage to the sea floor and has the least bycatch.
Nutrition Per serving:
192 calories; 9 g fat (2 g sat, 5 g mono); 43 mg cholesterol; 14 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 13 g protein; 1 g fiber; 405 mg sodium; 305 mg potassium.
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 3 lean meat, 1/2 fat