Tilapia with Tangerine Salsa
by Katie Webster
February 13, 2017 (updated 1/26/23) Jump To Recipe
Tilapia with Tangerine Salsa is a fresh and tropical-inspired weeknight meal. It is ready in 30 minutes (or less!) and the flavors will take you away to a tropical vacation. It is dairy free and only 259 calories per serving.
This recipe was originally shared on February 8th, 2012. I have updated the images and text today.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Tilapia Recipe
I came up with this Tilapia recipe right after my return from a Caribbean vacation. {Cooking with the ingredients and flavors I experienced from my trip always helps not feel so sad that my vacation is over.} Today’s fish recipe is bursting with the flavors of the Caribbean mixed with this season’s star fruit: citrus! I chose tangerines as the base for a fresh and tasty salsa to spoon over the sauteed fish. It’s like a little bridge for a vacation sick heart.
Serve it with mixed rice pilaf, lemon almond quinoa or cauliflower rice to make it a meal.
Nutrition Bonus: Tangerines and red bell pepper are great sources of Vitamin C.
Ingredient Notes
- Lime juice: For tartness in the salsa
- Honey: To sweeten and balance the salsa a little bit
- Freshly grated galangal root: This tuber looks a lot like ginger (shown above.) Find it at this time of year in the produce department with tropical fruits and roots. If you can’t find galangal root, you can use a small amount of fresh grated ginger root in the salsa instead. Try using about 1/2 teaspoon and taste and add more if desired.
- Salt
- Tangerines: You can sub in oranges if you like
- Scallions: Or green onion. Sub in minced red onion if desired
- Red bell pepper
- Cilantro leaves
- Tilapia fillet: Feel free to use another fish if desired.
- All-purpose flour
- Avocado oil or organic canola oil
Step-By-Step Instructions For This Tilapia Recipe
Make Tangerine Salsa
Whisk lime juice, honey, galangal and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Gently stir in tangerine, scallions, bell pepper and cilantro and set aside.
Dredge Tilapia Filets in Flour
Place tilapia in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle flour over the fish and turn to coat.
Cook Tilapia
Heat 1 tablespoon canola in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook about half of the tilapia in the skillet until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side.
Remove the fish to a plate and keep warm. Reduce temperature to medium-low and add the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to the skillet.
Cook the remaining tilapia until browned and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Serve the fish with the salsa.
FAQs and Expert Tips
The salsa can be made 24 hours in advance. Keep refrigerated. The fish is best freshly cooked and served immediately.
If you aren’t into fish, this combo is also great with marinated, grilled chicken breast. Try pounding it to an even thickness and then marinate it in grated galangal, lime zest and tamari for an hour before grilling.
Serving Suggestions
On the side try with our Sauteed Napa Cabbage or Sauteed Bok Choy. Both have a little ginger that would be excellent with this dish.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Print Tilapia with Tangerine Salsa
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This Tilapia with Tangerine Salsa is flavored with bright citrus, cilantro and lime and it is so easy to make. It’s ready in just 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ to 1 teaspoon freshly grated galangal root, preferably grated with a rasp-style grater
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- 3 tangerines, peeled and diced
- 2 scallions, sliced
- ½ red bell pepper, finely diced
- ¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 ½ pound tilapia fillet
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon avocado oil or organic canola oil, divided
Instructions
- Whisk lime juice, honey, galangal and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Gently stir in tangerine, scallions, bell pepper and cilantro and set aside.
- Place tilapia in a large baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle flour over the fish and turn to coat.
- Heat 1 tablespoon canola in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Cook about half of the tilapia in the skillet until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the fish to a plate and keep warm. Reduce temperature to medium-low and add the remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to the skillet. Cook the remaining tilapia until browned and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Serve the fish with the salsa.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 16 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 259
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 544
- Fat: 9
- Saturated Fat: 2
- Carbohydrates: 17
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 32
Keywords: Tilapia with salsa,Tangerine Salsa,Fish with citrus salsa,tilapia with tangerine salsa
Katie Webster
Katie Webster studied art and photography at Skidmore College and is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute. She has been a professional recipe developer since 2001 when she first started working in the test kitchen at EatingWell magazine. Her recipes have been featured in numerous magazines including Shape, Fitness, Parents and several Edible Communities publications among others. Her cookbook, Maple {Quirk Books} was published in 2015. She launched Healthy Seasonal Recipes in 2009. She lives in Vermont with her husband, two teenage daughters and two yellow labs. In her free time, you can find her at the gym, cooking, stacking firewood, making maple syrup, and tending to her overgrown perennial garden.
Being foodie person, That,s what I would love to have on my dinning table. The main reason how you presented it with sweet words.
Great
we love your skills,
keep sharing!
★★★★
Thanks so much! Happy Cooking!
When I first look those pictures, I knew this was delicious. Even though I’m not that fan of fish, I had to try your recipe and it was amazing. So delicious, so much flavor. Thank you so much!
Coming back home after a tropical vacation is always so hard!! Especially when you live in a place that is the opposite of the tropics haha! That salsa is such a beautiful accompaniment to the tilapia!
It can be so hard! But not hard enough to keep me from wanting to go every year. Ha ha. Thank you Izzy.
Oh I hate that depressing feeling you get after coming home from vacay, its a bummer! Luckily you found a way to bring part of vacay home with you in this recipe! This dish looks incredible! I bet the mildness of tilipia pairs perfectly with the flavorful salsa 🙂
Yes, it does. I love the contrast! Thank you so much Bethany. Have a great day.
We love fish of all kinds and I have a drawer full of citrus. Thanks for the inspiration!
I love the visual of a drawer full of citrus! Thanks for coming by Aimee.
I need to get some galangal root–have never cooked with it!
Totally! It is great in soup and marinade Letty.
Yes! Vacation reentry is a thing. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that cooks up a storm with vacation ingredients when I get home.
And galangal is one of my favorites. So sweet and fragrant and floral! Love it.
I love doing that! Oh, and yes galangal is great isn’t it? It can be hard to find sometimes, but I always pounce on it when I see it!
It’s always so hard coming back from vacation, but YES — a dish like this helps brighten your mood and take you back! This dish looks so fresh and light, and I’m loving that tangerine salsa. The photos are just gorgeous!
Oh thank you so much Marcie! Glad you cam by today.
I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of galangal root. I need to do some investigating into this new-to-me ingredient! This tilapia looks delicious and the perfect way to ease back into the real world after vacation. Crazy blizzard happening today, so I’m digging these fresh, tropical flavors!
You’ll probably recognize the flavor when you try it Liz. It is kind of coconutty and is used in a lot of Thai recipes. The blizzard swang by here too and I am so glad because we haven’t had a good snow storm in a couple years. Stay warm!
I love the way citrus compliments a light fish like Tilapia! This looks so fresh and delicious!
Thank you Laura!
Coming home from vacations is always rough for me too! Glad you brought this recipe to the forefront! It’s beautiful and we all need more great fish recipes
The struggle is real. Ha ha. Me too, and thank you Becky.
[quote name=Debbie Moyes]Oh Katie!!! Thanks for the wonderfully sweet picture of you – and your girls. I remember that face and a giggle to go with it. Just bought some tilapia this morning at WF. Now to find the other ingredients.[/quote]Debbie,
THANKS! It was a great trip. I wonder if WF carries Biker Dude galangal. It is amazing!
What a great time of year to head to the tropics. Seems like decades ago now, but two years ago i was lucky enough to spend 6 months in the US Virgin Isles. So jealous of your week. I did a daily blog of my adventures (lots of snorkeling photos mostly)…http://dailyvi.blogspot.com/
And as to your most excellent dish, I am collecting fish recipes for Lint. This should be making a Friday night appearance soon
Dave
Thanks for sharing, eRecipeCards.com
Oh Katie!!! Thanks for the wonderfully sweet picture of you – and your girls. I remember that face and a giggle to go with it. Just bought some tilapia this morning at WF. Now to find the other ingredients.