Wherever I am these days – whether it’s Beijing, San Francisco, or Tampa – I am surrounded by tangerines and clementines. (The latter is possibly better known in California as Cuties®.) These in-season cousins of the orange make excellent snacks, especially when you’re trying to fight off the seasonal cold. And they’re CHEAP. At a Tampa-area supermarket I found a 10-tangerines-for-$1 deal, rivaling Chinese prices.
After eating about 200 tangerines this season, I decided to make tangerine salsa for Christmas Eve hors d’oeuvres. This salsa requires few ingredients and is equally tangy, salty, sweet, and hot. I made a lot yesterday, and can serve it straight out of the fridge tomorrow with a few chips, a precious time-saver considering I have other appetizer, sides, and a big ol’ turkey to contend with.
Another way to use this salsa is to bake fish with it. I bought some tilapia fillets, rubbed them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and covered them with tangerine salsa. If you have the salsa already prepared, dinner is merely 10 minutes away.
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Tangerine Salsa
Makes about 4 cups of salsa; feel free to halve recipe
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large red onion, or 1 small red onion, finely chopped
6 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped
4 to 5 tangerines, peeled, segmented, and chopped
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Heat oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat. Cook onions until just caramelized, then add tomatoes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, mix together cooked tomatoes and onions with tangerines. Stir in lime juice, 1/2 tablespoon hot sauce, and 1 teaspoon salt. Adjust flavorings to suit your taste. Serve immediately with chips, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
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Tilapia with Tangerine Salsa
Serves 4
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups tangerine salsa (see above)
Cilantro sprigs for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°. Place tilapia fillets in a glass baking dish and rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cover fillets with salsa. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve immediately with rice or vegetables.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
This recipe for citrus salsa sounds so refreshing. The only adventurous salsa I’ve tried is mango salsa. Hopefully, I will try this next.
I’m loving this totally Caucasian vibe your blog has going on. Looks like you’re enjoying your holiday!
I love citrus salsas, both ways look great! Happy holidays.
All these great, sweet, juicy oranges and their cousins adorning farmer’s market stands. Neat idea to use them in a salsa. The hard part is finding ripe tomatoes that are worth eating.
Merry Christmas to all!
I have to try this. It looks delicious. I’ve tried peach salsa and mango salsa and they are both equally refreshing. Thanks for the idea. And Happy Holidays to you.
I really like the sound of a tangerine salsa!
I love this site! Great design, easy on the eyes. Do you take all your photos yourself? They look so professional.
Yup. I take all the photos unless otherwise noted.