Tilapia Tacos with Veggie Salsa & Rice

Tilapia:
8 pieces (about 2 lbs) fresh tilapia (cubed)
1 stick butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp dry cilantro
Melt butter in a skillet. Add tilapia and cook. Add salt & cilantro. Cook until fish is done, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Fish will be white and semi-firm when it's done.

Rice:
Make 4 cups rice using package directions, adding 1 T lime juice at the end. We use Jasmine rice for this recipe, about 2 cups dry rice to 5 cups water. This makes enough rice for the tacos, plus a side item on each plate.

Veggie Salsa:
Combine in a bowl:
1 small Vidalia onion (diced)
2 Roma tomatoes (diced)
1/2 C diced bell pepper (I used one I roasted last week & that was definitely better)
1 T lime juice
1/4 C fresh cilantro, or 1 tsp. dry cilantro
Mix together and serve on the tacos over the tilapia.

Assemble the Tacos:
Layer tilapia, rice and the Veggie Salsa on a warm, soft tortilla. Add sour cream if desired.

Sooooo yummy!!!

Cajun Blackened Red Snapper with Seasoned Squash

This is a great dish, it has some kick to it but isn't so spicy that my kids can't eat it. The fish should be blackened but not burned, so watch it carefully. We serve this over dirty rice.

Ingredients

• 8 Red Snapper fillets (always be sure to check fish for bones)
• 1 1/2 C Unsalted Butter
• Red Pepper Flakes - 1/4 t
• Ground Cumin - 1/2 T
• Chipotle Seasoning - 1T
• Granulated Garlic - 1T
• Minced Onion - 1/2 T
• Ground Oregano - 1/2 t
• Crushed Thyme - 1/2 t
• Ground White Pepper - 1/2 t
• Cracked Black Pepper - 1t
• Salt - scant 1/2 T
• 2 Yellow Squash, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 2 Zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, cut into 1/4 inch rings

Melt butter in large skillet (preferably cast iron). Pour melted butter into a bowl and set aside. Wipe out the skillet with paper towels (be careful not to burn your fingers), but don't wash it out. Heat pan on high for 10 minutes until very hot.

Mix all dry ingredients. Then turn on your oven vent and open your windows because the fish will smoke a lot while it's blackening!

Turn oven or warming drawer to 250 degrees.

Once pan has pre-heated, dip snapper fillets, one by one, into melted butter, then sprinkle generously with dry mix, then place in hot pan with seasoned side down. Pour 1 T melted butter onto each fillet, then sprinkle the top side with seasoning. Cook 3-5 minutes, until you can see that the bottom is blackening, then flip. Cook 3-5 minutes on the other side.

When the fish is finished, place it on a plate and put in the oven or warming drawer to keep warm while you cook the veggies.

Use a paper towel to wipe most of the black flakes out of the pan. Don't worry about trying to get it all.

Pour all remaining butter into the skillet. Place all veggies into the butter, along with any remaining dry mix. Cook uncovered on high for 2 minutes. Then cook covered for 3-4 minutes while you get the plates ready.

Prepare plates with dirty rice and snapper. Place veggies on plates at last minute, and serve!