Tortilla-Chip-Crusted Cod + Mango Salsa: A Whine-Free Dinner

Are you sick and tired of your kids bitching about what’s for dinner? Make this. It doesn’t matter if your kids say they don’t like fish. (Tell them it’s chicken. No judgment.) It doesn’t matter if you think they won’t eat mango salsa. (They will. But even if they don’t, screw ’em, more for you.)

Flaky cod (any mild white fish will work though) all wrapped up in a crunchy, golden crust and topped with a bright, sweet, zesty mango salsa?? Ummmmm yeahhhhhhhh. Sign me the hell up.

TORTILLA-CHIP-CRUSTED COD + MANGO SALSA

You know those crumbs or lame-ass tiny chip pieces that fall to the bottom of the tortilla-chip bag? This is how I use those. The fish is super fast and easy – a quick tortilla-chip-crumb dredging and a few minutes of pan-frying and you’re golden (literally). The mango salsa is just a matter of a little chopping, and can be made ahead. In fact, that makes it even better – the flavors have time to bathe in one another’s delicious glory. It’s definitely a notch-taker-upper (yes, it’s a made-up, multi-hyphenate word, deal with it). The fruit keeps it sweet, the lime juice and cilantro keep it bright and the shallot, garlic and seeded jalapeno hit it with some zest without being too spicy for whiny-ass children.

Tip: you can use pretty much any fruit as the base for the salsa, so whatever you’ve got on hand, whatever’s in season, whatever you think might be interesting, use that. I’ve done pineapple, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries…the list goes on and on. It’s a fun recipe to play with, get a little naughty, see what happens.

So there you have it, a few minutes and you’ve got dinner fully covered, and since everyone will have licked their plates clean, it’s lookin’ like you won’t have many dishes to do. More time for eating leftover mango salsa by the spoonful. Well played.

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Tortilla-Chip-Crusted Cod with Mango Salsa

Quick, easy, delicious and kid-friendly. And if you make the salsa ahead of time, it's even quicker + tastier.

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Prep Time

15 minutes

Servings

servings MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

• Fish:
• 4 pieces Cod:
• 1 cup crushed tortilla chips I typically use Siete grain-free chips for this.
• 1/2 cup cassava flour or any flour you prefer
• 1 egg beaten
• avocado oil for pan frying
• Salsa:
• 1 mango pitted, peeled + diced
• 1 avocado pitted, peeled + diced
• 1 jalapeno seeds removed + finely chopped
• 1/2 large shallot finely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic minced
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 1 lime juiced
• 2-3 tbsp minced cilantro
• sea salt to taste

Prep Time 15 minutes Servings servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Fish: 4 pieces Cod: 1 cup crushed tortilla chips I typically use Siete grain-free chips for this. 1/2 cup cassava flour or any flour you prefer 1 egg beaten avocado oil for pan frying Salsa: 1 mango pitted, peeled + diced 1 avocado pitted, peeled + diced 1 jalapeno seeds removed + finely chopped 1/2 large shallot finely chopped 1 large clove garlic minced 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds 1 lime juiced 2-3 tbsp minced cilantro sea salt to taste

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Instructions

1. To make salsa, just combine all salsa ingredients + let the flaves mingle for a bit. If making ahead, just refrigerate it until you're ready to use it.
2. Set up a little work station, so on a large piece of parchment paper, place your pile of cassava flour + your pile of tortilla chip crumbs side by side. Have your beaten egg in a large, shallow bowl right next to that.
3. Coat your fish lightly on all sides with flour, shaking off the excess. Then, quickly dip the fish in the beaten egg to coat on all sides. Then, dredge your fish in the tortilla chip crumbs on all sides. Repeat with all the pieces of fish.
4. Heat the avocado oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. You want enough to just barely cover the bottom of the skillet. When it's hot, add the fish, a couple pieces at a time.
5. When you see the sides of the pieces of cod start to lightly brown (a couple/few minutes), flip to cook the other side.
6. When the other side is golden (another couple of minutes), remove to a plate.
7. To serve, plate the fish + top with a couple spoonfuls of salsa.
8. Enjoy your kickass meal.