This Mexican Tilapia Bowl recipe is a delicious layering of Mexican rice, black beans, fajita veggies, crispy tilapia, salsa, cotija cheese, and cilantro leaves. If you desire, go crazy and add shredded cabbage, avocado or guacamole and sour cream!
Fish in a bowl!
You’re already aware of my undying devotion to Tilapia, and of my obsession with Mexican food. This is by no means a traditional Mexican dish, but rather my take on a deconstructed Fish Taco. You’ll notice in this Mexican tilapia recipe that there are no tortillas involved, but fear not! The Mexican Rice makes a lovely substitute.
Lot’s of craziness going on here, guys.
Many people ask how to make tilapia, well, here is a great way to do it.
Let’s take it from the top, shall we?
Fresh Cilantro
Cotija Cheese
Salsa Rojo
Crispy Tilapia
Fajita Veggies
Black Beans
Mexican Rice
Phew! I absolutely adore every single element in this tilapia recipe, but when you throw it all together in a steaming bowl of delicious?
There are no words.
Because I felt like being an over-achiever, I cooked the black beans from scratch, used our own Freezer Salsa, and made brown rice with tomatoes and Mexican spices.
If you’re short on time or simply not nearly as insane as I am, feel free to use Rice-a-Roni Mexican-style rice, leftover white rice, or just really anything you have lying around. I will also accept your decision to use canned black beans. Similarly, store-bought jarred salsa is an acceptable alternative.
Next time I’ll likely throw some shredded cabbage or broccoli slaw in there as well. And, a few slices of avocado would be great too. Same goes for sour cream.
Here’s the Recipe!
Mexican Tilapia Bowl Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tilapia fillets - cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Taco Seasoning - try making your own
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1/2 c. chopped onion
- 1/2 c. chopped red - yellow, or orange bell pepper
- 1/2 c. chopped green bell pepper
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 c. Mexican Rice
- 1 14 oz can Black Beans (or 1 lb. cooked black beans)
- 1 c. Salsa
- 4 Tbsp. crumbled Cotija cheese
- 2 Tbsp. chopped Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Rinse the tilapia pieces and pat dry with a paper towel. Combing the flour, salt, pepper, and taco seasoning in a pie plate or shallow dish. Lightly dredge the tilapia pieces through the flour, shaking off any excess back into the dish. Set aside.
- Heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, bell peppers, and cumin to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender crisp. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Add another 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil to the pan. Once hot, add the tilapia pieces in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes per side, until browned and cooked through (no longer translucent in the center).
- Set out four bowls, and layer ¼ of the ingredients in each bowl in the following order: Mexican rice, black beans, fajita veggies, tilapia, salsa, cotija cheese, and cilantro leaves.
I love the new look of your blog: very lovely indeed,…cool too! 🙂
A very appetizing recipe too! 🙂 Yummmm!
Thanks, Sophie! I’ve had so much fun figuring out how to set it all up!
Oh wow, that looks delicious! I’m a big fan of Mexican food, and your photography for that matter 😉
Thank you, Georgia! I’m still so intimidated by all of the buttons on my crazy camera.
Love my meal in a bowl, this sounds delicious.
Thanks, Suzanne! I’m a total sucker for meals served up in a big bowl 🙂