New Recipe Success!

Last summer, I instituted Sunday Night Dinners, in which I decided to try new recipes in an effort to practice my severe lack of cooking skills and feed my poor college student brother. With the busyness of both our schedules, it really only lasted for the summer. Now that summer is here again, I am hoping that we'll be able to re-institute Sunday Night Dinners again!

The other night, my sweet friend Lindsey came over, and she was my guinea pig for a new recipe I wanted to try. I was really proud of how it turned out, and she said she loved it! So I thought I would share the recipe-don't be nervous by the extensive ingredients list. It was fairly simple to make and most of the preparation could be done the night before. I served it over a bed of herb and butter rice and loved it. I will definitely make this recipe again. Bon appetit!

Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Tilapia Marinade Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 (6 oz) tilapia filets

Mango Salsa Ingredients:
1 large ripe mago, peeled, pitted, and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 tbsp. minced red onion
1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, parsley, garlic, basil, 1 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a bowl and pour into a reasealable plastic bag. Add the tilapia filets, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

2.Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper in a bowl. Add the lime juice and 1 tsp. of lemon juice, and toss well. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to serve.

3. Prehear an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil grate. (I don't have an outdoor grill, so I used by George Forman and it worked just fine).

4. Remove the tilapia from the marinade and shake off excess. Discard the remaining marinade. Grill the filets until the fish is no longer translucent in the center and flakes easily with a fork, 3 to 4 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the filets. Serve the tilapia topped with mango salsa.