Cajun Tilapia with Mango Salsa

This mango salsa recipe is delicious!  My friend Tiffany R. shared this with me, and I'm so glad she did.  It was great with the fish, as well as an appetizer with chips.  I used my Cajun seasoning for the fish.  I love the Cajun recipe because it stores well.  It is great on chicken too!

Cajun Tilapia with Mango Salsa  

Cajun Seasoning Blend:
2 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
1 Tbsp. ground red pepper
1 Tbsp. black pepper

Tilapia fillets(or whatever fish desired)

Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container.  When ready to use rub a small amount of Cajun mixture on fish. (This can be kind of spicy, so go easy on the Cajun mixture, until you figure out how much you like.  It doesn't take a ton to get a good flavor)  Add a couple of dabs of butter on top.  Bake at 350  until fish is flaky (about 20 min. or so depending on thickness of fish).  Top with the mango salsa before serving.

Mango Salsa:
3-4 medium size, ripe mango, peeled, pitted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Fresh Salsa

This stuff is truly amazing!! This is my Aunts recipe, and it is a winner! It is so simple and fresh.

Fresh Salsa

28 oz can whole tomato (If using fresh, just eyeball it, and get it to the texture and flavor you want)

1 jalapeno (I usually use one jalapeno, plus a couple of other peppers like banana peppers, or Hungarian pepper)

1 clove garlic

1 t. salt

1/3-1/2 bunch cilantro

Medium onion (I use yellow)

Remove stem from jalapeno, boil for 1-2 minutes. Put in blender with garlic, salt and juice from the tomatoes. Pulse a few times

Rinse cilantro and pull off stems. Add cilantro and tomato to blender; pulse.

Chop onion and add to blender; pulse until you get the consistency you want.

*I have also added a couple of tomatillos to the salsa before. It adds an extra flavor to it that is also very yummy. I just quarter them, then broil them for a few minutes before adding them to the blender.

Cafe Rio Feast

This is amazingly similar to Cafe Rio's pork salad. It is delicious!! I got all of these recipes from various friends when we live in the 'Ville, and we will be forever grateful.

Café Rio Pork
3# Pork roast (butt or shoulder)
1 c Worcestershire sauce
1 t dried oregano
1 t powdered ginger
1 t salt
1 t chili powder
1 t garlic powder
2 T dried minced onions

Cook all ingredients in a crock pot all day. One hour before serving, remove roast and shred it, dump out cooking juices. Put shredded pork back into crock pot and add…
1 c dark brown sugar
1 c red enchilada sauce


Cafe Rio black beans
1 can black beans
1/3 cup tomato juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro

Heat oil, cumin, and garlic. Throw in the rest until warm

Café Rio Lime Rice (Larry said this was better than Café Rios lime rice)
1 c white rice
2 T chicken broth, + broth to cook rice in
1 T fresh lime juice
1 T garlic powder
1 T dried minced onion
Pinch of salt

Cook all ingredients for rice directions, substituting chicken broth for water. When rice is done, add…
½-1 c chopped cilantro
1 T fresh lime juice
1 c green enchilada sauce

Guacamole (Larry said this was a good guacamole recipe, we just couldn't get very good avocados. I cut this recipe in half, and we still had plenty of guacamole.)
4 ripe Haas avocados
3 Tbs squeezed lemon juice (I think I add more)
8 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 medium tomato, seeded, and small-diced

Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits, and scoop the flesh out of their shells into a large bowl. Immediately add the lemon juice, Tabasco, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and toss well. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados in the bowl until are finely diced. Add the tomatoes. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper. (I'm pretty sure I always end up adding more salt.)


Café Rio Chicken salad Creamy Tomatillos Dressing(I used this on the pork salad, so I didn’t make the chicken, but I’m including it in case you want to try it with the chicken.)

3 Tomatillos
1 c. cilantro, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 c. buttermilk
½ c. sour cream
½ c. mayonnaise
1 pkt. Ranch buttermilk dressing mix

Husk and cut the tomatillos into quarters, put under a broiler for 7 minutes, then chop or mince. Mix together all ingredients and chill.

Saute chicken in olive oil and garlic. Serve on top of lettuce topped with cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese with the dressing.

How to assemble a Café Rio Salad:
One very large tortilla, toasted with a little cheddar cheese (We like to use the uncooked tortillas found near the cheese section. Then you just heat them up on a low temp in a frying pan, and then melt a little cheese on it.)

chopped greens (romaine, I think)
lime rice and beans (your choice of pinto or black)
your choice of meat (their famous BBQ pork, steak, or grilled chicken)
pico de gallo
guacamole
a few cilantro sprigs
a lime wedge
some kind of Mexican style cheese, when Larry looked it up online it is called Cotija cheese. I found it near sour cream.
tortilla strips, fried and crispy
creamy tomatillo dressing

Hummus

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe. Soo yummy!

4 garlic cloves
2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas(I use liquid from the chickpeas, and probably more than 2 T. I just add until it is the consistency that I want)
8 dashes hot sauce

Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature. This is great with warmed pita bread, carrots, and sugar snap peas.