Blackened Tilapia Tacos with Smoked Potatoes and a Smoked Tomato Salsa

Stovetop smokers are seriously a lot of fun. Thanks to a kind parting gift from my last job, I was able to go on a bit of a spree to Sur la Table where I picked up a pasta maker, a ravioli board, and a stovetop smoker. Know what this means? It's time to go grab your own because there will be a number of recipes utilizing my new toys coming your way!

For this post, I made use of my stovetop smoker for the first time, whipping up some smoked tomato salsa and smoked potatoes. I'd never used the smoker before and wasn't sure what to expect, but remarkably my kitchen remained smoke-free AND the food came out positively deliciously, reminiscent of beach or pool-side BBQs all summer long. While I won't use this method all of the time, I was delighted to find that the smoker gave a truly unique flavor to everything it was used for - and sometimes even a unique texture as well. I'd recommend one to anyone who enjoys cooking but doesn't have an outdoor grill!

Difficulty: medium
Time: 2 hr 30 min (if you only have one smoker)
Cost: $18.03



Smoked Tomato Salsa
Time: 1 hr 10 min

Ingredients:
1 tbsp hickory chips
2 c plum tomatoes, halved
7 garlic cloves, peeled but whole
1/3 c onion, diced
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, diced
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt

Assemble your smoker with the hickory chips. Make a foil basket and put it on the food tray. Put the tomatoes, garlic, and onions in the foil basket. Close the smoker, follow the smoking instructions, and smoke for 45 minutes.

Remove the tomatoes from the smoker and loosely chop. Put in a bowl. Add the smoked diced onion. Smash the garlic (it will be quite soft then) and add it to the tomatoes and onions. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Mix until all of the ingredients are well combined. Serve with chips.

Smoked Potatoes
Time: 1 hr 5 min

Ingredients:
1 tbsp hickory chips
2 lb potatoes, washed and sliced (1/4" thick slices)
1 tsp black pepper

Assemble your smoker with the hickory chips, following instructions. Put the potatoes on the smoker rack. Sprinkle with the pepper.

Smoke for 45-50 minutes. Then serve straight away!

Blackened Tilapia Tacos
Please note that I made corn tortillas from scratch for this recipe. You'll see the tortillas themselves right here, and then stuffed with the ingredients below. They are quite easy to make and often healthier, but if you are running short of time or energy you can always skip this step and simply hop below to the rest of the recipe. If you're up for some tortilla pressing, though, then keep reading!

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cornmeal
1 egg
1.5 c water

Mix together all of the ingredients: whole wheat flour, cornmeal, egg, and water. Mix until even and smooth; it will be fairly liquid.

Heat a pan over medium heat. When it's hot, spray with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan and swirl as needed to get a 6" tortilla. Heat for 1-2 minutes, then flip and heat another 1-2 minutes or until done.

Stack the finished tortillas and repeat until all of the batter is used.

And now for the rest of the recipe...

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
1/4 c fat free sour cream
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 c sweet white onion, sliced
1.5 tsp paprika
1.5 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp oregano
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb Tilapia fillets
2 avocado

First, get your onion remoulade going. Combine the sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl. Stir or whisk until evenly combined. Add the onion and stir again until the onion is evenly coated and everything is mixed.

In a different small bowl, mix together the paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic powder, and cumin. Set aside for now.

Heat a pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and let that heat, swirling to coat. Sprinkle half the spice mixture on one side of the fish. Put the spice side down in the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the spice on the other side of the fish. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes and then flip. Cook another four to five minutes or until done.

Now put your tacos together! On each fresh corn tortilla, put some fish, avocado, and onion remoulade. Enjoy!