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Posts Tagged ‘tacos’

Fish Tacos with Baja Cream

Posted in Dizzy Pig, Ethnic, Fish, Healthy, Mexican, Quick and Easy, Tried and True, tagged , , , , , on May 28, 2010| 16 Comments »

Fish tacos are one of my favorite easy, healthy dinners. They are also a perfect warm weather dinner. As we were eating these we talked about how fun it would be to entertain with a make-your-own fish taco bar and margaritas or sangria. Just might have to do that soon!

Another great thing about fish tacos is that they can be totally customized based on your flavor and topping preferences. We happen to love ours finished with this Baja Cream that I discovered when I was making these shrimp tacos. I like to serve all of the toppings on a big platter so we can each build our own tacos.

I usually use a mild white fish and saute it with a Dizzy Pig rub like Jamaican Firewalk or Shakin’ the Tree.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you should be familiar with these rubs. I can’t sing The Dizzy Pig’s praises enough. These rubs have the best flavor and use high quality ingredients. Also, their customer service is awesome!

I’m sharing my base recipe for fish tacos but feel free to change it up to meet your tastes. But whatever you do, don’t skip out on the Baja cream – even if you’re not a mayonnaise fan – it sounds so simple but adds a wonderful, bright flavor to the tacos.

One year ago: Greek Inspired Flounder

Fish Tacos with Baja Cream
(Recipe source: tacos – Bakin’ and Eggs, baja cream – Bon Appetit)

Ingredients:

FOR THE BAJA CREAM
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lime peel
Salt, to taste

FOR THE TACOS
1 1/2 pounds white fish fillets such as tilapia, flounder or mahi
Seasoning rub of your choice – recommended Dizzy Pig’s Jamaican Firewalk
2 tablespoon olive oil
Shredded red or purple cabbage
Shredded cheese such as cheddar, colbyjack or your choice
1 avocado, sliced
Salsa
Lime wedges
Hot sauce, such as Cholula
8 soft taco sized tortillas

Directions:

FOR THE BAJA CREAM
Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be made up to 3 days ahead.)

FOR THE TACOS
Drizzle fish with olive oil and coat with seasoning rub. In a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add fish and cook about 3 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Remove fish from pan and cut into slices.

Arrange Baja cream and toppings on a platter and serve with fish and warmed tortillas (I usually wrap mine in a paper towel and microwave for about 30 seconds).

Yield: 4 servings

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68 Days of Gourmet: Chile Crusted Tuna Tacos

Posted in 68 days of Gourmet, Big Green Egg, Blogging Events, Fish, Healthy, Mexican, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2010| 1 Comment »

68 Days of Gourmet: Day 59 (final stretch!!!)

These Chile Crusted Tuna Tacos felt like a great choice for a warm spring night. They were a light and refreshing dinner paired with sangria and Black Bean and Quinoa Salad. Tuna is one of our favorite fish choices and I was eager to try it in fish tacos instead of our usual Asian preparations (like this and this).

Although the recipe required preparation of several different elements, it still felt relatively simple to prepare. I was able to take my time with each of the steps and enjoy dicing, simmering and sautéing. The end result was a tasty twist on fish tacos – sweet, spicy, crunchy. Yum!

I was disappointed that I was not able to use the jicama that the recipe called for. It was mushy and moldy at the store. 😦 I ended up making a game-time decision to sub purple cabbage for some crunch. It worked but next time I would definitely do the jicama.

If you’re a fish taco lover or looking for a warm weather spin on tacos, these are a great option!

One Year Ago: Tropical Carrot Cake

Chile Crusted Tuna Tacos
(Recipe source Gourmet, August 2003)

Ingredients:

FOR THE SAUCE
1 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon minced canned chipotles in adobo (including sauce)
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar

FOR THE TUNA
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 lb (1 1/2-inch-thick) sushi-grade tuna steak
2 tablespoons olive oil

TO FINISH
4 (9- to 10-inch) flour tortillas
1 cup matchstick (1/8-inch-thick) pieces of jicama (from 1 small jicama, peeled) (I subbed shredded cabbage)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (omitted – Brandon will not eat cilantro!!!)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 firm-ripe California avocado
1 cup loosely packed arugula, coarse stems discarded

Bring orange juice, chipotles and vinegar to a boil in a small heavy saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced to a generous 1/3 cup, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Toss jicama with cilantro, lime juice, remaining tablespoon oil, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

While sauce cools, prepare charcoal or gas grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal. Charcoal fire is medium-hot when you can hold your hand 5 inches above rack for 3 to 4 seconds. If using a gas grill, preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then reduce heat to moderately high.

Alternatively, you can sear tuna in a skillet over medium-high heat if you need to cook indoors.

While grill heats, stir together coriander, cumin, chili powder, black pepper and kosher salt in a shallow bowl. Brush tuna on all sides with olive oil and coat evenly with spice mixture.

Grill tuna on lightly oiled rack, uncovered, turning once, until seared on outside but still rare in center, about 2-3 minutes per side. Let tuna stand 10 minutes.

While tuna stands, heat tortillas on grill, turning over once, until warm, about 1 minute, and keep warm, wrapped in foil. Halve, pit and peel avocado and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices.

Alternatively, sear tuna in pan for 2-3 minutes per side over medium heat and heat tortillas in microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Put a tortilla on each of 4 plates. Divide arugula, jicama mixture and avocado among tortillas, arranging evenly down center of each. Slice tuna 1/4 inch thick and divide among tacos. Drizzle orange chipotle sauce evenly over tuna and serve.

Yield: 4 servings

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