Santa Fe Tilapia Chopped Salad Bowl

by Brenda Score on February 10, 2016 (updated August 14, 2020)

This Santa Fe Tilapia Chopped Salad Bowl is bursting with color and fresh flavor, a most excellent lunch!

a white bowl with Santa Fe Tilapia, lettuce, corn, beans, peppers, and tomato

If you live in an area where the winter season is marked by very obvious changes in scenery (Translation: not a green leaf or brightly hued flower to be seen + the ground is covered with a thick blanket of white snow), then I’m betting you’re craving some color, sunshine, and warmth (and not the kind from the fireplace) right about now, just like I am. Come February each year, I am done, done, DONE with winter. The older I get, the more I welcome the idea of being a snowbird.

But. That lifestyle is just not in the cards right now. So the easiest way I find to incorporate some color and sunshine into my daily life is through food. And I’ve been going crazy with that lately, stocking our refrigerator drawers with all kinds of juicy citrus, and seeking out the best veggies available to us during this season that has us deeply yearning for our summer’s local farmers markets and fresh picked garden produce.

This Santa Fe Tilapia Chopped Salad Bowl has been a lunch on weekly repeat here for me. Colorful and loaded with flavor, it’s just the thing to help remind me that spring is just around the corner.

* This post is sponsored by Chicken of the Sea.

I am excited to be partnering with Chicken of the Sea this year, to bring you fresh, new recipes incorporating deliciousness from the ocean. Last year about this time, I challenged myself to incorporate more fish and seafood into our meals, and I’d say my efforts were “ok” at best. I wasn’t consistent. Plus I lacked creativity, letting myself fall back on familiar (yet still delicious!) recipes. So being approached by Chicken of the Sea, to be a part of their Sea the Possibilities challenge in 2016 was an invitation I simply could not decline.

Chicken of the Sea’s Tilapia Fillets in Sauce were recently introduced, and boy do they make lunchtime protein easy and delicious. Tilapia is a fish that I served quite a bit over the last year, hoping that its mild flavor would entice our kids to like fish. I haven’t gotten them over that hurdle yet, but I’m not giving up!

sliced onion and bell peppers with a chicken of the sea tilapia pouch

This year, Chicken of the Sea is challenging people to Sea the Possibilities – to stretch beyond their comfort zones and explore new things to open up their world. Are you in? I am!

My personal challenge is to expand upon what I started in the kitchen last year. I am challenging myself to include fish or seafood in at least one personal lunch and one family dinner per week for a month, without making the same meal twice. I’m hoping that at least one of the family meals will get the thumbs-up by our non-fish-loving daughters, and that this thoughtful planning will inspire my family to make fish and seafood a more regular meal priority.

If you have a favorite fish and/or seafood meal (especially if it’s kid-friendly), please share it with me in the comments section at the end of this post. I could use your help. Links are welcome! {Thank you!}

How can YOU #SeaThePossibilities?

To enter the #SeaThePossibilities contest, and potentially win $5,000!, simply go here to submit a photo, video, or short description in one of three categories, telling how you will challenge yourself to live better and/or discover something new. Share your challenge on social media using the hashtag #SeaThePossibilities and you’re entered for the chance to win one of three monthly ($1,000) prizes for each category plus the grand prize of $5,000! Plus you’ll receive a $1.00 off coupon just for entering the challenge. Here’s more on how to enter.

Tilapia Salad Bowl with tortilla chips and guacamole

My Santa Fe Tilapia Chopped Salad Bowl fits right in here, offering a good meal for both the body and soul. All that color feeds me both nutrition AND joy!

The Santa Fe flavored tilapia fillets are flavored with a tomato based sauce, rich in southwestern spices. Pair the protein-rich tilapia with rice or pasta for a more substantial meal, or create a colorful, fresh salad like I did here for a lighter lunch. I simply charred some sweet pepper and onion slices in a hot fry pan, and then served them in a bistro bowl full of crispy romaine lettuce, sliced tomatoes, corn kernels, black beans and cilantro. The salad gets topped with a serving of Santa Fe flavored tilapia, along with its sauce and and a few squeezes of fresh lime. For some salty crunch, add a handful of your favorite tortilla chips. Guacamole is a great addition, too. Ain’t lunch grand?!