Have you ever seen a recipe and knew immediately that you had to make it? That happened to me last Sunday. While I was out running errands, I noticed a new post on my phone from Karen at Back Road Journal about Fish Tacos. I read it standing in line at one store, and decided right away to pick up the ingredients I needed at my next stop, the market.
The Culinary Enthusiast and I decided a while ago to add more fish into our diet, but I’ve not been very successful at translating that into action. Now that we’ve tried these tacos, there won’t be any problem eating fish on a regular basis. We enjoyed them immensely. The avocado spread is smooth and tangy, the slaw is crunchy and spicy with the kick of lime juice, and the fish had a spicy crust and moist interior. Put it all together in a whole wheat tortilla, and you’ve got yourself one fun-to-eat, grab-the-napkins messy handful of deliciousness.
Don’t let the numerous components of the recipe deter you from making these. I made the avocado aioli and the vinaigrette and slaw ahead of time (dress the slaw with the vinaigrette closer to serving time, so it won’t lose its crispiness). As for the fish, it came together in a flash just before cooking time. All three preparations are easy, and we assembled our tacos at the table.
About the photos, well … I got interrupted a couple of times by phone calls as I was putting the finishing touches on this dinner, and by the time I got the food on the table I was simply in a rush to eat. I basically pointed the camera and clicked. My photos don’t do justice to this dish, so I encourage you to check out the link to the Back Road Journal post, above, for some truly lovely pictures.
Old favourites are special in the kitchen, but be sure to venture out and try new recipes, too. As these tacos prove, you may be finding new old favourites!
Zesty Fish Tacos
As I adapted the recipe from Back Road Journal, here
Spicy Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice, or to taste
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl until emulsified.
Avocado Aioli
- 1 small avocado, peeled and mashed
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp hot sauce
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together until smooth.
Slaw
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup shredded white cabbage
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
Spicy Pan Sautéed Fish
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (the recipe called for cayenne, but I replaced it with chill powder)
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 fresh skinless fish fillets, such as flounder (I used tilapia), each cut into thirds
- Note: the recipe also called for 1 tsp onion powder, which I didn’t have
Tacos and Optional Toppings
- 6 tortillas, corn or flour (I used whole wheat)
- chopped cilantro
- chopped peanuts
- lime wedges, to garnish
The flavour of this dish was mindblowingly good, bravo!!! Mar.
Why, thank you!
Looks yummy. We are also trying to eat more fish but don’t know of many ways to prepare it. You should also try her salmon recipe. It’s also very good.
Thank you for the tip! I enjoy salmon, too. Thanks also for stopping by and leaving a comment. Cheers!
I’m so happy that you made the fish tacos and that you both enjoyed them. Thank you for the link to my blog. Karen
Thank you again for the inspiration! By the way, one of my commenters has referred me to your salmon recipe. I’ll have to look that one up! Mar
These tacos looked good on Karen’s blog and yours sound every bit as good. Like you, I’m trying to get more fish in my diet and this seems to be a tasty way to do it. You mentioned just having to try Karen’s recipe. Well, it must be something in the air. I cooked a blogging buddy’s recipe last night and, in an odd coincidence, on Friday night I cooked one from another’s blog as she cooked one of mine. Best of all, it seems that we all enjoyed our dinners. Yay!
I find I’m trying more and more recipes from other bloggers than recipe books lately. One of the nice benefits of discovering other people with similar sensibilities when it comes to cooking. Do try the tacos – we really enjoyed them. Check out Karen’s post about it!
[…] with my Cuban pulled pork, I dressed purchased (make life easy!) shredded cabbage and carrot with a spicy lime vinaigrette for a zesty […]
[…] enjoyed these for dinner last night with a simple coleslaw dressed with spicy lime vinaigrette. The zestiness of the dressing was a good counterpoint to the fatty richness and sweetness of the […]
Excellent recipe, Mar! My husband and I are from Down East originally so we love our fish. Never had a fish taco before this evening though – we loved every bite and I’ll certainly make this a family favourite. I followed the recipe as modified and our tastebuds thank you.