Grilled Tequila Lime Marinated Tilapia Tacos
Tacos are on a regular rotation at our house. While the three kids would be content with standard ground beef tacos everytime, I prefer a little more variety. So, trying to spice things up and create a fun and new type of taco dinner for the family, I made these tilapia tacos.
Fish goes surprisingly well in tacos and I find that grilling the tilapia gives the perfect char flavor that works really nicely with the soft tortillas.
Soaking the fish in a marinade, before grilling, provides an opportunity to add various levels of flavor. Tilapia is one of the milder fishes, so it can definitely use a bit of flavor enhancement. Since I was grilling this fish for tacos, I decided to develop a Mexican inspired marinade.
Recently, I was sent a couple bottles of Sauza Tequila for some recipe creation and knew that this would fit perfectly for the marinade. I used their Sauza Tequila Gold, which has nice caramel flavor notes, providing a hint of sweetness. Along with the tequila, I added some lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro and honey.
The tilapia needs to soak in this marinade for a good 30-60 minutes. This maximizes the infusion of flavors into the fish. After marinating, the fish goes on the grill!
Tilapia is quite the delicate fish and can crumble easily when cooked. That presents a problem if the fish is grilled since the fish can fall apart and pieces can drop between the grill grates. To prevent this, I use a grilling stone, which not only creates an effective flat surface to grill on, but it also prevents any pieces from falling down.
Grilled Tequila Lime Marinated Tilapia Tacos
Ingredients
- 3-4 tilapia filets
- 1/3 cup tequila
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers , cored and minced
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro , minced
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl make the marinade by mixing together everything, except the tilapia.
- Place tilapia filets in a dish with high sides. Pour the marinade over the fish and gently flip the tilapia so they are fully coated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Heat grill to high heat. Place the tilapia filets on the grill and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Very carefully, flip the fish and grill for another 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from the grill and let rest for a couple minutes.
- Crumble the fish and place some on a soft floured tortilla shell. Top with guacamole, grated cheese, tomatoes or other taco toppings.
