Color Scheme

Subscribe now

Tilapia makes tasty filling for tacos

Grilled Fish Tacos With Avocado are made with a quick and easy recipe that gives a new twist to south-of-the-border flavors and ingredients, and includes a basis of good nutrition.Grilled Fish Tacos With Avocado are made with a quick and easy recipe that gives a new twist to south-of-the-border flavors and ingredients, and includes a basis of good nutrition. (Associated PressAssociated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Grilled Fish Tacos With Avocado are made with a quick and easy recipe that gives a new twist to south-of-the-border flavors and ingredients, and includes a basis of good nutrition.Grilled Fish Tacos With Avocado are made with a quick and easy recipe that gives a new twist to south-of-the-border flavors and ingredients, and includes a basis of good nutrition. (Associated PressAssociated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

These fish tacos are made with a quick and easy recipe that gives a new twist to south-of-the-border flavors and ingredients and includes a basis of good nutrition.

Farmed U.S. tilapia is among fish choices recommended by environmentalists. Its sweet flavor combines well with spicy seasoning, as in this recipe; it’s simple to cook and it makes a tasty filling for tacos.

Avocado is often offered made into guacamole; here cubes of creamy Hass avocado are used as a topping in combination with radishes, cabbage and a sprinkling of cheese. The avocado has a long history, was known to the Aztecs and Mayans; today it’s credited for its “good” unsaturated fat, increasingly believed to have health benefits.

Grilled Fish Tacos with Avocado

From the Hass Avocado Board for the Associated Press

12 corn tortillas

Cooking spray

1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, about 1/2 -inch thick

Vegetable oil

1 teaspoon seasoning blend made from 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin and chili pepper (blackened spice seasoning)

1 medium-size ripe Hass avocado, peeled, pitted, cubed

3/4 cup trimmed, cleaned, sliced radishes

1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage (white or red, or mix of both)

1/4 cup low-fat shredded Jack cheese (see note)

Cilantro leaves and fresh lime slices, for garnish

Hot sauce, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

To warm tortillas, wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes; keep warm.

Spray grill rack with cooking spray; prepare grill for high heat.

Rinse tilapia with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Brush fillets with a bit of oil and sprinkle with spice seasoning blend. Place on heated grill 4 to 5 inches from source of heat.

Cook fish for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn and cook for additional 2 minutes. Fish will flake easily with fork. Gently break cooked fish in large chunks, and fold in warmed tortillas.

Top with avocado, radishes, cheese and cabbage. Season to taste with hot sauce if desired. Garnish with cilantro and lime to serve.

Note: To completely substitute heart-healthy fats for saturated fats, cheese can be omitted from recipe.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size 2 tacos).

Nutrition information per serving (2 tacos, with cheese): 330 calories, 12 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 32 percent fat calories), 27 grams protein, 31 grams carbohydrate, 40 milligrams cholesterol, 6 grams dietary fiber, 180 milligrams sodium.