Green Chile Tilapia Crostini with Watermelon Salsa are the most delicious, perfect summertime bite you could possibly eat. Not only are these topped with watermelon salsa, they’re topped with GRILLED watermelon salsa.

If sliders had babies…

Aren’t they just precious.

I guess I got tired of regular slider size and had to change my game up. Although I’m a creature of habit, sometimes I have to do things differently.

These are crostini sliders, and I’m officially obsessed. I have soooo many ideas for this now that I’ve made these.

Believe it or not, these were made because of this fantastic watermelon salsa I came up with last night after grilling some watermelon.

It’s sweet, just slightly spicy, but most of all very fresh.

And summery, and I honestly cannot get enough of summer.

There’s just something about grilled and smoked foods that make your food magical. It lends a smoky flavor that is unlike anything else, and always reminds me of summertime. 

Grilling watermelon brings out the sweetness a little more, and adds that luscious, smoky flavor. You don’t have to grill the melon; it will still be delicious. 

How To Make Green Chile Tilapia Crostini with Watermelon Salsa

To begin with, I started with a basic tilapia burger recipe, refrigerated it for about an hour to make sure that the mixture wouldn’t fall apart, and then I browned my tiny patties in olive oil.

While they were cooking, I brushed thin slices of Italian bread with butter and browned them quickly in the oven.

Then, I drizzled a little Stubb’s Green Chile Sauce on the bottoms and topped with tilapia. If you haven’t tried this sauce, you need to by the way.

It’s so good – there are so many things you can do with this stuff.

Stubb’s authentic sauces, rubs and marinades get their bold flavors from real ingredients, with no artificial flavors, colors or sweeteners, or high fructose corn syrup – check out their complete line of rubs, sauces and marinades here.

Then…

I topped them with the watermelon salsa and feta cheese.

If you say you don’t like feta cheese, I have to wonder… Have you tried it? For real tried it?? 

If not, please do me a solid and just try it out.

Feta cheese does a nice job of cutting through the spiciness of the salsa and green chile sauce and gives it a nice salty component.

Although one could argue that this didn’t need two elements of hot, once you taste it you’ll agree that they complement each other very well.

It works because both components are only slightly hot, but their tastes are very different.

….And I do what I want, anyway.

These are perfect for cookouts or dinner parties as a starter, or just to make for fun.

These would also be fabulous served at a bridal or baby shower; or great for a game day!

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Green Chile Tilapia Crostini with Watermelon Salsa

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Tender tilapia cakes on crostini topped with smoky grilled watermelon salsa and feta cheese - the PERFECT summertime appetizer!

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Ingredients

Watermelon Salsa

• 1 lbs watermelon, diced (I grilled mine, but you don't have to)
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 17 oz can petite diced tomatoes, diced
• Handful fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded (is that a word?)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp white vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Tilapia Crostini

• 1 lb. tilapia
• 1 egg, whisked
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1 tbsp basil, dried
• 1 tbsp Feiny's Rubs - Chesapeake Bay *
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 loaf Italian bread, or Cuban bread, sliced thin
• 1/2 cup Stubb's Green Chile Anytime Sauce, divided in half
• Feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Make the salsa by combining everything in a large mixing bowl; refrigerate.
3. Combine the tilapia through pepper and half Stubbs Green Chile Sauce; form into tiny sliders (size to fit crostini, or the size of your bread slices).
4. Over medium heat, heat olive oil and brown tilapia sliders on both sides.
5. Toast the bread slices in the oven at 425 for 3-5 minutes, until brown.
6. Assemble sliders by drizzling more green chile sauce on bottom crostini, add tilapia, salsa and feta and top.
7. Serve.

Notes

*This is my choice, but you could use Old Bay as a substitute.

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This post was updated on 06/27/2022.