Test Kitchen: Fish Taco Salad

After seeing LadyJayPee's beautiful photo of Mango Salsa and her referenced recipe from Sugar, I purchased a mango just for the purpose of making that mouth-watering concoction. The minute I finished mixing the ingredients, I sampled the salsa on a Tostito, and it was everything I hoped it would be--tangy with lime juice, sweet from the mango and a nice, crisp punch of flavor from the cilantro and jalapenos.

I sauteed tilapia filets seasoned with Penzey's Smoky 4/S Salt to experiment with a salad in development for my catering menu.

I added diced red peppers and a dash of my favorite "lite" bottled dressing.

This made a delicious salad, but it became magnificent when I spooned it into a corn tortilla.

I could happily eat this every day of my life!

Here is the recipe with my minor adaptations:

Fish Taco Salad with Mango Salsa
adapted from Eating, Etc.
and Everything Nice by Sugar and Spice

1 peeled and diced ripe mango, with juices
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
juice of one lime
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos

Mix together & set aside. Assemble your favorite green salad and add grilled, sauteed, or fried fish. Spoon on mango salsa and shredded cheese, and dress lightly with your choice of salad dressing. Toss and serve immediately. Heaven!

Test Kitchen

One of the most enjoyable aspects of my business is testing new recipes. In developing menus for catering, much of my inspiration comes from other bloggers' recipes. The finished product must not only be delicious and addictive but also be visually appealing and sound irresistible in its description on my menu. I like new twists on old favorites, and so I tested three appetizer recipes this weekend, with my family serving as the "Chopped" judging panel.

Shelby from The Lives and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch has featured recipes from Blogchef, and since my daughter was craving avocados this week, Blogchef's Guacamole Bruschetta was the perfect experiment.

Adding the fresh taste of cilantro to the usual guacamole ingredients and the twist of serving it on crispy french bread made this a definite addition to my catering menu. One avocado-hating panelist abstained from trying this one, but the other two liked it, and I thought it was a winner. My daughter felt it was a touch too tart, so I might adjust the ingredient proportions a bit. I loved it "as is" and finished it off for breakfast this morning (a really good sign!)

My family loves deviled eggs, and when I saw Deviled Egg Spread on The Cutting Edge of Ordinary, I decided to try it in hollowed out new potatoes. This is a good recipe, but there were major deviled egg purists on the Chopped panel. Reaction varied from "I prefer deviled eggs" to another eating it with a spoon. This one might make it onto my menu but with some tweaks to make it more attractive and piquant.

The final recipe presented to the panel was a very simple, easy-to-prepare recipe from The Food Addicts called Man Dip. With the addition of cream cheese as an alternative to the usual Velveeta, this finished product was deemed "OK" by the panel and sadly will not become a part of the catering menu.

My thanks to the Chopped panel--my husband, my Mom, and my daughter--for patiently trying new recipes when they honestly like the old ones much better.