Take fish tacos to the next level with a bright and healthy sour cherry and mango salsa. Thank you to the Cherry Marketing Institute for helping me to share this recipe with you.
There are times when I’m just not sure how my family is going to react to a new recipe, particularly one that involves an unfamiliar ingredient. It’s not that they haven’t eaten and loved tart cherries in dried or juice form. Heck, we use the dried ones in everything from nut mixes to wild rice salads and drink the tart cherry juice straight, or in smoothies and sparklers every single day, year round!
But when my boys saw me pull the bag of frozen tart cherries out of the freezer, they didn’t know what to think. You may know fresh tart cherries as “sour cherries”. Either way, July is harvest time and the fresh tart cherries are at their finest! I figured it was time to introduce my boys to the amazing flavor of the fresh fruit.
If you’ve tasted sour cherries in the past, it’s probably been in a tart, cobbler or preserves. Since we don’t eat a ton of desserts around here, I wanted to highlight the cherries in a savory recipe.
There are a couple of fish taco stands that we have fallen in love with, one here in Utah (Lone Star Taqueria) and one in Ventura, California (Spencer Makenzie's). If you’re within 50 miles of either of them, make the drive. You won’t be sorry. But I can almost guarantee that you won’t find a tart cherry and mango salsa at either fish taco joint, which is reason enough to make these tacos at home!
The salsa is a mixture of tart cherries (I used frozen, defrosted ones, but you could also use fresh or canned tart/sour cherries), mango (see my post on How to: Cut a Mango), lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro and a little agave nectar to sweeten things up. Be sure to allow an extra hour for the salsa to rest so that all of the flavors can meld together.
The taco part is as easy as marinating the fish for 15 minutes, baking it in the oven and flaking it into the warm tortillas, with a crumble of queso fresco. They’re fantastic for entertaining, but work just as well as a weeknight meal.
[Tweet "Change things up with these Fish Tacos with Tart Cherry and Mango Salsa by @cookincanuck. https://www.cookincanuck.com/2015/07/fish-tacos-with-tart-cherry-mango-salsa-recipe"]
So, what did my family think? Well, I was running my kids around to various activities the first time I made these for dinner. Both boys and my husband texted me to say how much they enjoyed them. “The tacos were awesome, Mum! I loved that salsa.” Slam dunk.
For more information on tart cherries and recipe inspiration, be sure to visit the Cherry Marketing Institute site, and follow Choose Cherries on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
Other tart cherry recipes:
Tart Cherry & Peach Sparkler
Wild Rice Salad with Chicken, Dried Cherries & Goat Cheese
Fish Tacos with Tart Cherry & Mango Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
The Salsa:
- 1 cup fresh or frozen thawed pitted tart (sour) cherries*
- 1 mango chopped
- juice of 1 lime
- ½ jalapeno seeded and minced
- 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
- 1 tablespoon agave nectar
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
The Tacos:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 ¼ pounds white fish such as cod or mahi mahi
- 6 taco-sized tortillas wheat or corn**
- 6 tablespoons queso fresco or feta cheese
Instructions
The Salsa:
- In a medium glass bowl, stir together the tart cherries, mango, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, agave nectar and salt.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to combine.
The Tacos:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.
- In a glass container, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper.
- Add the fish, turning to coat with the marinade. Let rest for 15 minutes.
- Transfer the fish to the lined baking sheet. Discard the marinade.
- Bake until the fish is just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the filets.
- Let the fish rest until it is cool enough to handle, then flake with your fingers or a fork.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Heat each tortilla until warm, about 10 seconds per side.
- Divide the fish, salsa and cheese evenly between the tortillas. Serve.
Notes
**For nutritional information, I used 100 calorie 6-inch flour tortillas. Weight Watchers Points: 3 (Points+), 4 (Old Points)
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post was compensated as part of my brand ambassadorship with the Cherry Marketing Institute. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Martha @ A Family Feast
Oh my...I'm totally intrigued by this salsa! I love cherries - so it has to be fantastic!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom
Love the cherry and mango combo...I bet it transforms any recipe you top it with!
Lana | Never Enough Thyme
Now that's a really different salsa for a fish taco and it sounds absolutely wonderful!
Jennie @onesweetmess
I can't stop drooling over that salsa. This is definitely a must-make summer recipe. Pinned.
Anita
Fish tacos are all I want on hot summer days! I love your version!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
We have been waiting forever for tart cherries around here! It seems like they're really late this year due to the cold weather. Wish I could find frozen ones because these tacos look great!
Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic
That salsa sounds amazing! My tart cherry tree is about ready to harvest. Your salsa will definitely be on the menu.
Ginny McMeans
Those bites must be a real kicker. Love the sound of these tacos!
Lauren Kelly Nutrition
I have never had sour cherries before but since I am mildly obsessed with cherries, that has to change! I just adore this recipe!
Happy Valley Chow
Goodness gracious that looks delicious! Fantastic salsa 🙂
Happy Blogging!
Happy Valley Chow
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living
I love that vibrant fruit salsa! Just beautiful!
Stephanie
The tacos looks amazing and that salsa? I want to put it on everything!!
The Food Hunter
I'm not a fan of fish tacos but that salsa may change that!
Robyn Stone | Add a Pinch
These look amazing, Dara! I am hungry for that salsa!
Lori @ RecipeGirl
This is my kind of summer meal! The cherry and mango salsa really makes these tacos something special.
Lindsay
I love this!! Fruit is totally underutilized in salsas. I mean, mango is one thing, but there are so many other possibilities out there! Definitely have to try this one.
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
Love this Dara! So creative
Aimee @ ShugarySweets
We love cherries at our house!! I don't think I've ever seen fish tacos with a cherry salsa. I'm intrigued, in love, and hungry all at once!!!
Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen
This is so creative and I love the flavor combo. So bright, fresh and mega- delicious! I haven't had tart cherries in so long and now I'm craving them!
Amy @Very Culinary
Oh wow. These have to be the prettiest fish tacos ever. We LOVE cherries over here! Gimme.