Tag: fish

Fish Tacos With Mango Peach Pico De Gallo

Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

The “Three Weeks” are upon us and we are fast approaching the “Nine Days“.  During the Nine Days many Ashkenazi Orthodox Jews refrain from eating meat and poultry. Fish is often the go to protein for many people during that time. I love tacos! Tacos are the worlds most flexible food. You can fill a taco with almost anything. You can top a taco with as much or as little as you would like.  So for the Nine Days why not go with the ever popular fish tacos?

For fish tacos I would stay away from any fish that are too oily, like mackerel. Stick with a basic firm fleshed white fish like cod.  In the Chicagoland area we have something called “White Fish”.  I am not sure exactly what species is it , but seems to work well for fish tacos.  In a pinch you can use tilapia, but it often comes frozen or previously frozen and thawed, and I find it has a slightly “fishy” taste, so I tend to avoid it.

Talking Tortillas

As for a tortilla I went with a basic medium sized corn tortilla. If you really want to get fancy you can make you own tortillas. I recommend my recipe for poblano tortillas. If you want something more suited for an appetizer or hor d’oeuvre you can use a small “street Taco” sized to tortilla. I like the texture you get from corn tortilla, but if you prefer a flour tortilla go for it. Like I said, tacos are flexible.  

Peach Pico

With summer upon us, peaches are in season. Mixing the peaches with the brightness of mango, the heat of jalapeno, and sharpness of the red onion makes a great balanced pico de gallo to top your fish tacos. Note that I don’t include tomatoes in my pico , as I abhor raw tomatoes (but love ketchup), but if you like them feel free to add them in. Also, with fish tacos you have the opportunity to use real dairy. A basic crema is super easy to make.  I just combine standard sour cream with the zest and juice of a lime, but  you can use crème fraîche or add some other flavors, have fun with it. 

Check out some of our other meat and poultry free recipes:

Meatless-stuffed Eggplant with Cilantro Tahini Sauce

Spinach Ravioli With Alfredo Sauce

Tostito Tacos

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Fish Tacos
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Fish Tacos With Mango Peach Pico De Gallo
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
 

A tasty taco, great for when you want something a little lighter or can't have meat.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Snack
Cuisine: baja, Mexican, Tex-Mex
Keyword: Fish Taco
Servings: 3 Tacos
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Fried Fish
  • ½ lb Firm Fleshed White Fish Such as Cod Skin removed.
  • 1 Cup All Purpose Flour Divided.
  • 1 Cup Beer Nothing fancy or too heavy.
  • 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper Powder
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • Neutral Oil for Frying Such as vegetable or canola. This is NOT the time to use your fancy extra virgin olive oil.
  • 3 Medium Sized White Corn Flour Tortilla
Mango Peach Pico De Gallo
  • ½ Cup Fresh Diced Mango
  • ½ Cup Fresh Diced Peach
  • ¼ Cup Diced Red Onion
  • ¼ Cup Diced Jalapeno
  • Juice of One Lime
  • ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro Leaves Stems removed
  • 1 tsp Salt
Crema
  • 8 oz Sour Cream
  • Juice and Zest of One Lime
Instructions
Mango Peach Pico De Gallo

  1. In a mixing bowl combined the mango, peach, onion, jalapeno, salt, lime juice, and cilantro. Mix with a large spoon until all the components are well distributed.

Crema

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine the sour cream with the lime juice and zest.

Fish Tacos

  1. In a mixing bowl combine the cayenne pepper powder and half the flour (½ cup) with the beer (1 cup). Stir until there the mixture forms a thin batter. The batter should be fairly runny. Put the batter aside to allow the flour to hydrate and the gluten to relax.

  2. Cut your fish in to 1"x4" strips. If your fish has skin remove it.

  3. Add enough oil to a frying pan to come about a ½" up the side, and place on the stove over medium heat. Allow the oil to come to 350°F

  4. In a shallow dish add the salt and pepper to the remainder of the flour (½ cup) and stir to distribute. Lightly dust your fish strips in the flour, then dip in to the batter and allow the excess to drip off. You only want a thin coating of batter.

  5. Fry until golden brown on each side. It should only take a about 2 minutes per side, but cook to desired color not time.

  6. Once your fish is fried remove the pan from the fire and use the burner to toast your tortillas. Place each tortilla directly on the grate flipping every five seconds until they just begin to char around the edges and start to get some dark spots. Alternatively you can place them under the broiler on low for a few seconds to achieve the same effect.

  7. Place a piece of your fish in your tortilla, top with the mango peach pico de gallo, drizzle on some crema, and enjoy.

 

 

Fish Tacos With Mango Jalapeno Salsa and Fresh Red Cabbage and Daikon Slaw

Fish TacosFish Tacos

Fish is usually Rachel’s territory, but with the “Nine Days” upon us, I decided to try my hand at fish tacos. I do have to admit, fish is not my favorite food. If it is really fresh I will eat it, but it must be a variety that doesn’t taste too “fishy”. I tend to stick with lightly flavored, white fleshed fish like cod and tend to stay away from more oily fish like mackerel.

As I have said before I personally consider tacos the world’s most perfect food. Tacos really are a great platform for almost any type of protein. Growing up, my mom never made fish tacos, so I didn’t try fish tacos until I was in my late 20’s. Years ago, my wife and I were on vacation in LA and we went to lunch at Fish Grill. We ordered fish and chips and fish tacos and shared the two dishes.

This was probably the first time I had ever ordered fish at a restaurant. The food was excellent. My theory is there are are two things that make a good fish restaurant, it should be close to the ocean, and busy. That way you know the fish can get there fast, and isn’t sitting around too long.  Also, don’t forget as Anthony Bourdain was fond of saying, never order fish in a restaurant on Monday.  Being in LA and very popular, Fish Grill checked all of the boxes. I wanted to recreate that experience at home.

California Cuisine

The goal here was to create a recipe inspired by that meal, all while making it easy and gluten free. I didn’t want to mess with a wet batter so I went with a breading. By using cornmeal instead of breadcrumbs I was able to keep the dish gluten free. The cornmeal also adds a great texture and nutty flavor. The slaw adds texture as well as some acidity and the salsa adds sweetness and a touch of heat. Both of these really help capture the great freshness of California cuisine.

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Fish Tacos
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Cornmeal Crusted Fish Tacos With Mango Jalapeno Salsa and Fresh Red Cabbage and Daikon Slaw
Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
30 mins
 

A fresh take on fish tacos. The salsa adds sweetness and heat, while the slaw adds crunch and acidity.

Course: Dinner, Lucnh, Snack
Cuisine: American, California, Mexican, Sea Food, Tacos, Tex-Mex
Keyword: Fish Taco
Servings: 4 people
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Fish
  • 1 lb Firm Fleshed White Fish Cod works well, but tilapia or any white fish will work in a pinch
  • 2 Cups Yellow Corn Meal
  • 2 Large Eggs Beaten
  • Vegetable Oil For Frying
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • Chili Lime Seasoning I use the one from Trader Joe's, but in a pinch a mild chili powder will work
  • Corn Tortillas I like the 4.5'" mini tortillas but any taco sized tortilla will work
Crema
  • 1 Cup Sour Cream
  • Zest and Juice of 1 Lime
Salsa
  • 1 Pint Cherry Tomatoes
  • 1 Large Mango Diced
  • 2 Jalapenos
  • 1/4 Cup Cilantro Stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 Lime
  • Salt To taste
Slaw
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Red Cabbage
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Green Cabbage
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Carrots
  • 1/2 Cup Shredded Daikon or Radish
  • 1 tbsp Kosher Salt
  • 1/4 Cup Rice or Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Whole Mustard Seed
  • 1 tbsp Celery Seed
Instructions
Salsa

  1. Place the cherry tomatoes and jalapenos on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place in a cold oven and set to bake at 375°F. Roast until the tomatoes begin to burst and the jalapenos start to blister.

  2. Allow the tomatoes and jalapenos to cool. Remove the stems and seeds from the jalapenos,

  3. Roughly chop the tomatoes and jalapenos and add to a mixing bowl. Add the mango, cilantro, and salt. Add the juice from the limes and lightly stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.

Slaw

  1. Combine the 2 cabbages, daikon, carrots, salt, vinegar, mustard seed, and celery seed in a large bowl and stir to combine.

Fish

  1. Cut your fish into 1/2" by 3" strips and season with salt and pepper.

  2. In a bowl, combine the chili lime seasoning and the cornmeal.

  3. Dip each piece of fish in the egg and then in the cornmeal.

  4. Place a cast iron skillet or large frying pan over medium heat and and add a 1/2" of oil.

  5. Fry your fish until golden brown on each side.

Crema

  1. Mix the juice and zest of a lime with the sour cream.

Assembly

  1. Lightly brown your tortillas in a skillet.

  2. Place some of the slaw on the bottom of the tortilla, then add 1-3 pieces of fish depending on the the size of your tortillas. Top the fish with the salsa and drizzle on the crema. Enjoy!

Like this recipe? Check out some of our other fish recipes

Spicy Moroccan Salmon with Pickle Slaw

Smoked Salmon and Avocado Stacks

Wild Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders with Garlic Chive Mayo

Spicy Salmon Tamales