I remember the first time we heard of fish tacos. My wife and I both thought, yuk, that doesn't sound good at all! So I didn't even think about trying one for quite some time. But then we moved to San Diego, where because of the close proximity to Baja California, they are quite popular. Since we were now living in "America's Finest City" where fish tacos were a staple, we thought we should at least give them a try. To our surprise, we were immediately hooked! Then I discovered there were many variations on these delicacies. The most common tacos were stuffed with a fish fillet or stick, but there were plenty of other varieties, some of which even included shrimp and lobster. Now, who could turn down a taco stuffed with succulent lobster meat?
As I tried some of the different varieties my gears started turning. Since I've always liked to cook and try new recipes I was sure I could figure out how to make these delights and serve them to the family. Though I don't mind spending some time in the kitchen whipping up a big meal, with nine children it is often important to try and have something quick and easy up your sleeve. So, after sampling various tacos I've come up with a fairly quick and easy version of my own.
Components:
- First, you need tortillas. These should be corn if you want to be traditional. I've tried fish tacos in flour tortillas and while they were OK, they just didn't taste quite as good. Secondly, you need some fish. Usually a fish fillet of some sort will suffice. A purist would say you need to get a fresh fillet of fish and either grill, bake or fry it. I generally just get ready-made fish fillets or fish sticks from my local grocery store as it makes the preparation time a lot quicker. Thirdly, there is the sauce. There are many variations but I've come up with a quick and easy sauce that uses mayonnaise and ketchup as a base. Lastly, you need shredded cabbage and some limes. Some use other items to "dress" their taco but cabbage seems to be the most common. You could shred some carrots in with the cabbage if you like.
So, here are your ingredients...
Ingredients:
- 12 Corn Tortillas
- 12 Fish Fillets/Sticks
Sauce
2 Cups Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Bunch of Cilantro (add more if you like cilantro)
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder (Alternatively use garlic granules or freshly chopped garlic)
1 Medium Lime
1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/2 Bunch of Cilantro (add more if you like cilantro)
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder (Alternatively use garlic granules or freshly chopped garlic)
1 Medium Lime
Topping
1/2 Head Cabbage
Fresh Lime Slices
Fresh Lime Slices
preparation:
And this is how you will prepare it...
- First, make the sauce. I usually use a food processor to mix the sauce but you could just as easily do it all by hand. Put the cilantro in the food processor and chop. Next put the mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic powder, and the juice of one lime in the food processor and blend. Remove the sauce to a properly sized bowl and place it in the refrigerator. Next, shred the cabbage. You can either clean the food processor first or just shred it in right over the remains of the sauce. Besides, it is going to be mixed with the sauce anyway. Put the shredded cabbage in the refrigerator. Then, cook the fish by either baking, frying, or grilling. Lastly, heat the tortillas. You can either do this traditionally by cooking them in a frying pan with a little oil OR just pop them in the microwave. You could, of course, heat the tortillas and cook the fish at the same time in order to speed up the process.
We're getting to the good part now...you now get to make the taco and then you get to enjoy.
Place the fish, tortillas, sauce, cabbage, and limes on a counter. Usually, because of the size of our family, we just let everyone make their own as there are so many ways to do it...some like to put the sauce on first, others like to put it towards the top. It's really just a matter of preference.
I digress, basically, put a tortilla flat on a plate, put the fish on top of it, followed by sauce and then the salad. Some folks like to add pico de gallo or salsa to this as well. The last step in the taco make is to sprinkle some juice from a lime slice on top, this adds a lot to the overall flavor.
Give these tacos a try and you won't be disappointed. We always find that just one of these Baja California Treats is just not enough!
Enjoy!
If you’ve tried this recipe, let us know what you think in the comments below.