These easy to make Fish Tostadas with Pineapple Salad are crisp, light, and refreshing giving you all the beachside vibes you’re aching for. Super fun and flavourful with very little effort!
Tostadas Friday. It became a thing for us during quarantine and with the warmer weather finally arriving, I’m starting it all over again. Something about the crunch factor, and the open-faced toppings that makes tostadas even more fun than tacos. It’s like having finger food for dinner and these tostadas couldn’t be easier to make!
Easy Fish Tostadas With Pineapple Salsa
I would have a hard time choosing a favourite topping combo for tostadas. Just about anything you can think of to layer on a tostada will be delicious. But I definitely love a pescatarian tostada and this combination of the mildly spicy, chipotle-seasoned fish with the sweet pineapple salsa is a current addiction.
For these low-effort tostadas you simply drizzle some white fish with olive oil, season with salt, then coat with chopped up chipotle peppers in adobo. Bake for 15 minutes or so until the fish is just cooked, then broil a few seconds for a little crispiness and colour.
While the fish bakes, cube some pineapple, toss with red onions, scallions, diced jalapeños, lots of lime juice and chopped up cilantro leaves. Simple but so, so good – you’ll be making that salsa to go with everything all summer. A creamy layer via a garlicky crema or some creamy guacamole, is also a good idea.
When ready to eat, spoon everything over some crispy tostadas drizzle with a few more squirts of lime, top with pickled jalapeños, and dig in! Minimal effort, and outrageously delicious.
What Is A Tostada?
In Spanish, tostada means toasted or crispy. A Mexican tostada is made from a baked or fried corn tortilla. It is basically a large tortilla chip in a flat, round shape that is served open faced like a sandwich with an assortment of toppings such as refried beans, taco meat, fish, guacamole, salsas, slaw, grated cheese, etc.
You can buy premade tostadas at most well-stocked grocery stores or any Latin American store. However, I’d like to encourage you to make your own. Baked not fried, homemade tostadas are hands down worth the 15 minutes or so it takes to make them. You can bake them days ahead, or just before you’re ready to use them.
Here’s how to make homemade tostadas:
- Use your favourite brand of corn tortillas. If you can find organic, 100% corn tortillas, grab them. I don’t have much luck finding organic corn tortillas in my area so I will use whatever is available.
- Brush tortillas with oil. Line a large sheet pan, or two, with parchment paper. Brush each corn tortilla with a thin layer of olive oil on both sides. Don’t use too mush oil or the tortilla won’t get as crispy.
- Bake the tortilla. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Make sure the tortillas are not overlapping. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes a side or until they have curled a bit on the edges, a few bubbles have formed, and they feel nice and crispy.
- Sprinkle with salt. As soon as you take the tortillas out of the oven, sprinkle with kosher salt (or flaky salt).
- Let cool. As the tortillas cool, they will crisp up even more. This should only take a few minutes.
- Store for up to 1 week. Homemade tostadas can be made ahead and stored in a zip-loc bag for up to eight days.
Ingredients And Notes
For the Tostada:
- White fish – I used haddock but any white fish such like cod, halibut, snapper, catfish, or tilapia will work.
- Chipotle in adobo – You can mince 1 to 3 peppers depending how spicy you like it but do note that brands vary greatly in spice level. I used 3 peppers of Casa Fiesta chipotles and the fish tasted a bit spicy on it’s own, but not the finished tostada.
- Oil – Just a bit of avocado oil or olive oil to drizzle over the fish before baking.
- Salt and pepper – To lightly season the fish.
- Corn tortillas or tostadas – If making your own tostadas you will need a package of corn tortillas. Otherwise, buy the packaged tostadas sold at most grocery stores or Latin American markets.
- Optional toppings – Pickled jalapeños, avocado slices, guacamole, flaky salt, shaved cabbage.
For the pineapple salsa:
- Fresh, ripe pineapple
- Red onion
- Scallions
- Cilantro
- Lime juice
- Kosher salt
For the garlic crema (optional):
- Garlic
- Sour cream, yogurt, mayo, or vegenaise
- Lime juice
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
How To Make Fish Tostadas With Pineapple Salsa
To be sure, there are endless possibilities for what to use as topping for these fish tostadas. Think of this as a guide but feel free to make it your own with whatever toppings you love.
- Prepare the fish. Rub fish with a little oil, season with salt and pepper then coat with minced chipotle peppers.
- Bake the fish. Place fish in a baking dish and bake in preheated oven until the fish is opaque and flakes easily, about 15 minutes. If you’d like the fish a little crispier on top, place under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes (watch closely!).
- Make the pineapple salsa. In a large bowl, combine all the pineapple salsa ingredients and toss well.
- Make the garlic crema. In a small bowl, whisk together all the garlic crema ingredients.
- Assemble the tostadas. Spread crema or guacamole on the top of each tostada. Layer with the flaked fish, pineapple salsa, and jalapeño. Sprinkle everything with a little flaky salt, if using, and serve with a wedge of lime. Enjoy!
Variations
There are lots of ways to riff on this recipe. These are some of my favourite:
- Add mango. The pineapple salsa is fabulous with cubed mango.
- Use shrimp or tofu. Instead of white fish, use shrimp or baked tofu cubes. Almost any protein will work for these tostadas, even chickpeas!
- Make a citrus salsa. Use blood orange, or regular orange segments instead of the pineapple.
- Use white onion. Red onion is usually my first choice but white onion is also great with these fish tostadas.
- Use soft taco shells. if you use soft taco shells you can’t call it a tostada but it will be just as delicious!
FAQs About Fish
1. Is cooking fish hard?
If you have reservations about cooking fish, I promise you this recipe is foolproof. The fish will be moist, flaky, and flavourful.
2. What to do with leftover fish?
Though fish is definitely better enjoyed the day you make it, it is perfectly fine to use the next day. Store baked fish in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Reheat gently in a warm oven.
3. Can I use salmon to make fish tostadas?
Salmon would be great for these fish tostadas! Prepare and bake exactly the same as you would white fish, adjusting the time to a little more or less depending on the thickness of the fillet.
Tips To Enjoy the Best Tostadas
- Eat as soon as assembled! Tostadas need to be crispy so once you assemble it, you need to eat it fairly quickly. Otherwise the toppings will makes the tostada soggy.
- Make it spicier. I don’t really enjoy food that is too spicy. As written, this fish tostada recipe is not very spicy at all so if you enjoy heat, add more chipotle peppers or serve with hot sauce on the side.
- Include something creamy and something with acid in the toppings. You don’t have to make the garlic crema but a bit of sour cream or a creamy guacamole offers the perfect contrast to the crunchy tostadas. Likewise, any limey, juicy salsa is going to make your tostada a lot more delicious.
More Fish Recipes To Try
If you give this Fish Tostadas with Pineapple Salsa recipe a try, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a star rating below. We appreciate and welcome all your feedback. Thank you!
Fish Tostadas with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
FOR THE FISH TOSTADAS
- 1 1/4 pounds white fish like haddock, cod, tilapia, or Mahi Mahi
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- a few grinds of black pepper to taste
- 2 chipotle in adobo finely minced (or add more or less to taste)
- 8 - 12 corn tostadas (*see notes to make your own)
- 1 cup diced avocado or guacamole
- 1/3 cup pickled jalapeño optional for topping
FOR THE PINEAPPLE SALSA
- 3 cups pineapple diced small
- 1/2 small red onion diced small
- 1 jalapeño diced small (optional)
- 2 scallions thinly sliced (optional)
- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly chopped
- juice of 1 large lime (at least 2 tablespoons)
FOR THE GARLIC CREMA (OPTIONAL)
- 1 fat clove garlic minced or grated
- 2/3 cup sour cream, yogurt, mayo, or vegenaise
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF.
- Grease a large baking dish with a little butter or oil. Pat fish dry with paper towels and place in baking dish.
- Rub fish all over with oil, and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spoon the chipotle peppers over the top and spread evenly to coat.
- Bake fish until it flakes easily, about 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish. If you'd like the fish a little crispier on top, place under broiler for 2 to 3 minutes (watch closely!).
- While the fish bakes, make the salsa. In a large bowl, combine all the pineapple salsa ingredients and toss well.
- If making the garlic crema, whisk together all the garlic crema ingredients in a small bowl.
- When ready to assemble, spread crema or guacamole over the top of each tostada. Layer with the flaked fish, pineapple salsa, and other toppings of your choice. Sprinkle everything with a little flaky salt, if using, and serve with a wedge of lime. Enjoy!
Notes
HOMEMADE TOSTADAS
- Use your favourite brand of corn tortillas. If you can find organic, 100% corn tortillas, grab them. I don't have much luck finding organic corn tortillas in my area so I will use whatever is available.
- Brush tortillas with oil. Line a large sheet pan, or two, with parchment paper. Brush each corn tortilla with a thin layer of olive oil on both sides. Don't use too much oil or the tortilla won't get as crispy.
- Bake the tortilla. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Make sure the tortillas are not overlapping. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes a side or until they have curled a bit on the edges, a few bubbles have formed, and they feel nice and crispy.
- Sprinkle with salt. As soon as you take the tortillas out of the oven, sprinkle with kosher salt (or flaky salt).
- Let cool. As the tortillas cool, they will crisp up even more. This should only take a few minutes.
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