Improvised dinners are often the best.  Everyone has those days when you raid the pantry to see what you can possibly pull together with what you have on hand.  That is usually how my best ideas are born.

I started with a jar of All-Natural Black Bean Salsa.  It is good, but it needed some help.  Fresh diced pineapple, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and fresh garlic helped to brighten it up.  You really can’t go wrong here… mango would be delicious if pineapple isn’t available.  If you want, you can even BUY pineapple salsa or use whatever you have on hand.  After I made the salsa, I set it aside while I prepared the fish.

You’ll need some delicious fresh Grouper (this would be great with any white fish… especially Mahi or Snapper).  I had some tiny kitchen helpers crush plantain chips for me.

I coated ONLY the top side of the fish portions in flour, egg wash, and crushed plantain chips.  You can coat the entire portion if you’d like, but it really isn’t necessary.

Place the fish CRUST SIDE DOWN in a hot pan with a small amount of oil over high heat.  Give it about a minute to get nice and brown.  It will form a nice crust and the fish will barely start to cook.  Flip the fish and transfer to an oven-safe dish.  Finish cooking in a preheated 400-degree oven.  (My fish took about 5 minutes to finish cooking.)

Top the fish with the salsa and you’re ready to eat!  I served this with coconut Jasmine rice (just replace half of the water with coconut milk).  It’s like being somewhere in the tropics when you’re really at home!