Fish Tacos
Earlier this evening, I read Jenny Rosenstrach’s “Refrigerator Dump” post on Dinner: A Love Story (www.dinneralovestory.com). I should mention that in my humble opinion, Jenny is a rock star. I relate to almost everything she writes, enjoy her recipes and am envious of all that she’s accomplished. Like me, she comes from a magazine publishing background but she has created a wildly successful blog, published a fantastic cookbook (which I read cover to cover in three sittings), and writes a monthly column for Bon Appetit. To say that she’s my hero is nothing short of the truth.
So, it’s no surprise that I appreciated the account of her weekly refrigerator assessment. I run through pretty much the same routine every five days–take a good look around, get rid of anything that must go and figure out how to save or repurpose whatever’s salvageable. It’s a good feeling when you turn the 1/2 bag of cabbage, leftover from Tuesday’s stir fry, into cole slaw for Friday’s fish tacos.
If you’re looking for ways to reinvent something that’s often left sitting in your fridge: basmati rice, sliced flank steak, a couple of eggs…please mention it in the comments section below, because I’d love to take on the challenge of throwing out a few ideas. In the meantime, I’ll share tonight’s fish taco recipe (I wasn’t kidding about the leftover cabbage, plus the tortillas from this week’s kimchi quesadillas and an avocado that was a bit too soft to the touch). But please, bring on your leftovers!
Tilapia Tacos
- 4 Tbls cider vinegar
- 2 Tbls honey
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 bag shredded cabbage
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup shredded carrot, optional
- handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- 3 Tbls ranch dressing
- 1 Tbls sriracha sauce
- Fish
- 2 pieces of tilapia
- Old Bay (or any seasoning of choice)*
- Tortillas, warmed on the grill pan
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- lime wedges, for serving
- Mix ingredients to combine.
- Add slaw ingredients to the dressing bowl and toss to coat. Season with some salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.
- Mix the dressing with sriracha and set aside for serving.
- Season tilapia with salt, pepper and any seasoning of choice: Old Bay; chipotle chili powder; or a combination of cumin, chili and coriander powders.
- Preheat a grill pan and coat with non-stick spray.
- When the pan is hot, sear fish for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Timing is somewhat dependent upon how hot your pan is and how thick your fish is. When the fish releases easily from the hot pan, it's time to flip. Once it flakes easily with a fork, it's done.
- To serve, layer each tortilla with some slaw, sliced avocados, flaked tilapia, drizzled sauce and a squeeze of lime. Makes 4-6 tortillas, depending on how you stuff them!
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November 2, 2015 @ 10:19 am
I made these Fish Tacos for my family last night for dinner and my husband and kids went nuts over them! They are easy to make, healthy and super flavorful. I used mahi mahi for the fish and sprinkled it with salt, pepper and a light dusting of a cumin, chili powder and coriander mixture before pan frying. For the sauce, I used 4 tablespoons of ranch dressing to 1 tablespoon of sriracha to take a little of the heat off so even my 9 year old could enjoy it. We have tried fish tacos at many restaurants and all agreed that these were better than them all! Great for a weeknight dinner because the fish cooks up so quickly and the ingredients are so simple. Thanks Sly Rooster for yet another, awesome family meal idea!
March 9, 2013 @ 7:17 am
Why is it always the veggies that seem leftover in abundance? Here you go: Swiss chard, root veggies, spinach and snow peas. I know it’s screaming for stir fry. But I am sf challenged.
March 9, 2013 @ 8:08 am
Love it, thanks! What about a Rustic Root Vegetable Casserole (or “Gratin” sounds better but only if you decide to top with some grated cheese). Peel and thinly slice your root vegetables (the more the merrier). Parboil them in a pot of salted water (til al dente, tossing in the snow peas for the final 30 seconds). Drain. Meanwhile, saute some thinly sliced onions and garlic in olive oil. Add some salt, pepper and thyme. When onions are translucent, add the roughly shredded chard and spinach and saute until somewhat softened. If you have some tomatoes, throw them into the saute pan, as well. Make sure that your mixture is well seasoned with salt and pepper before layering, along with the parboiled veges, in a greased casserole dish (do a root vege-onion-root vege pattern). Bake covered in a 350F oven for around 45 minutes. Vegetables should be cooked through but slightly tender when tested with a knife. Then remove foil and grate cheese over the top, if desired, and bake for another 15 minutes until top is golden brown. Important to let sit for at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
And because I just can’t stop…another option would be a Moroccan Quinoa. Roast the diced root veges, seasoned with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, turmeric. Saute the spinach, chard and snow peas with onion and garlic. Mix the lot together and then add to some quinoa cooked in vege or chicken broth. Season with fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Hope either of these end up on your dinner table!