Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m properly fussy when it comes to fish.  I like the expensive stuff (like lobsters, and big prawns, and scallops) or the meaty stuff (monkfish, I’m looking at you!) but can’t do anything that actually smells or tastes fishy, or hasn’t actually been cooked (smoked salmon is my nemesis…).  But I’ve got a couple of months of dental work lined up so I’m on a quest to find “easy” things to eat, and fish is one of the most obvious candidates.  Only I don’t eat it often, and have probably only ever cooked it from scratch once. Ever. So yeah. This was going to be tough!  But I saw this recipe in Olive magazine and remembered various people raving about fish tacos so figured it was worth a shot.  OM(G!) NOM NOM!!!!

Seriously, what is not to love about this recipe!  Lovely fresh homemade salsa that is a total doddle, and despite frying the fish it was properly light and flakey with just that wee bit of spicey crunch from the seasoned flour coating.  And eating it all felt all kinds of  virtuously healthy!

This is yet another crazily imbalanced taste to effort ratio recipe – the salsa takes longest (ha!) and if you can do that in the afternoon then all you’re left to do in the evening is the fish, and that really does take next to no time.  Honest. Given how terrified I was at the thought of cooking fish this was a good recipe to start with.  And when the weather gets warmer this will be the perfect light supper to rustle up quickly, more so if you cheat and buy ready made salsa 😉

Fish Tacos
Serves 2
Lightly battered bites of spicey fish, topped with fresh zingy salsa, all wrapped up in a warm tortilla.
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Stuff you’ll need for the fish…
  1. 4 tbsp plain flour
  2. 4 tbsp cornflour
  3. 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  4. 1/2 tsp cayenne
  5. big pinch turmeric
  6. 1 egg
  7. 300g sustainable firm white fish, cut into bite-sized pieces
  8. Corn oil
Stuff you’ll need for the salsa…
  1. 3 ripe tomatoes
  2. 1/2 small red onion, very finely chopped
  3. 1 small avocado, diced
  4. 1/2 lime, zest and juice
  5. handful coriander, chopped
  6. 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  7. 1/2 tbsp pickled jalapenos, chopped (optional)
Stuff you’ll need to finish it…
  1. Tortilla wraps (4-6 depending on how stuffed you like your wraps)
  2. 1 lime, quartered
Salsa first!
  1. If you can, make this a couple of hours ahead of time as it will give the salsa time to develop.
  2. The best salsa, according to Hubby, is made by skinning and gutting your tomatoes first, so… fill a deep bowl with boiling water, and the sink with enough cold water to cover your tomatoes. Cut a wee cross at the top and bottom of each tomato and then one by one plunge into the boiling water first for about 30 seconds, fish out with a slotted spoon and drop into the cold water in the sink. The skins should now peel off really easily. Once you’ve peeled them, quarter, and then pull/scoop out the seeds and liquid and discard. Dice up what’s left and pop into a bowl, and then mix in all the rest of the ingredients and give it a good stir about. Place in the fridge until you’re ready to eat – the lime juice will keep the avocado from turning colour so make this as ahead of time as you like.
Cook!
  1. Mix the flour and cornflour with the spices and season really well (seriously, do not be shy with the salt here!) and put on a flat plate.
  2. Crack your egg into a shallow bowl and beat.
  3. Heat a large saucepan with 2cm of oil. When you can brown a cube of bread in 30 seconds then its ready.
  4. Toss all the fish in the beaten egg until it’s well coated, and then toss it in the seasoned flour until, again, it’s well coated (I slapped on the CSI vinyl gloves and got stuck right in!). Fry for 2-3 minutes until the pieces have turned crisp and golden – depending on the size of your saucepan you may need to do this in two batches - and then “fish” out (sorry!!) and drain on kitchen paper.
  5. Try a bit when it’s cooled down enough and salt if required.
  6. Warm some tortillas up, pop three or four bits of fish down the middle, spoon over the salsa, squeeze a bit of lime all over, wrap it up and eat it up!
Adapted from Olive Magazine
Adapted from Olive Magazine
fifigoesnom https://www.fifigoesnom.com/
Easy-peasy Guacamole

Easy-peasy Guacamole

I love Mexican food. Maybe it’s because I’m an American, and we’re deluged with fantastic eats from our southerly neighbours. Or maybe it’s because I lived in Texas for awhile, and really came to love the Tex-Mex flavours you get down there. I like to think, really, it’s because Mexican food, done right, makes the best of fresh ingredients and gives you a dish that zings with flavour.

Fifi, on the other hand… Let’s just say that it’s been a trial getting her, shall we say… accustomed, to my enjoyment of Mexican food.

So, I bribe her with this guacamole. Maybe that’s cheating, but when you’re married, sometimes happy compromise involves being the sneakiest little bugger you can be, and finding every advantage you can. Thus, a bowl of this stuff.

It’s amazingly zingy with lime, and has a light freshness with coriander and tomato. Enjoy it with tortilla chips, or with your favourite Mexican food – we served it here with an impromptu lunch, born of having too many black beans for dinner-burritos, which I made into rather-nice-if-I-say-so-myself quesadillas. 

But, without further ado, here’s the recipe. It really is simplicity itself.

Easy-Peasy Guacamole
Serves 4
Rustic homemade guacamole, all zingy with the lime. Definitely one of my favourite things!
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Prep Time
15 min
Prep Time
15 min
Stuff you'll need...
  1. 2 large Hass avocados
  2. 1-2 limes
  3. Fresh coriander, about a handful
  4. 2-3 good sized cloves of garlic
  5. A generous pinch of salt
  6. ½ red onion, or less, finely chopped
  7. 1 medium tomato, peeled. (Cut a cross into the top and bottom, immerse into boiling water for about 20 seconds, then just peel the skin away with your fingers. Cut into small cubes.)
  8. ½ – 1 red chilli, de-seeded (also excellent when roasted!)
  9. 1 tbsp sour cream
Prep...
  1. As the avocado will begin to brown when exposed to air, juice your limes first. One juicy lime will usually be enough, but often it takes 1 and ½ to 2 before you have enough.
  2. Add a pinch of salt to the lime juice and mix, this will help the seasoning get through all of your guacamole.
Make It!
  1. Cut your avocados in half length-wise and remove the stones. Then take a spoon to the flesh and just scoop out spoonfulls of avocado straight into the mixing bowl. Pour your lime juice and salt mixture over the avocado to keep it fresh.
  2. Now coarsely chop a good-sized handful of coriander and add to the bowl.
  3. Next add your garlic, ideally put through a garlic press, or chopped very finely, followed by the tomato, red onion and chilli.
  4. Take a potato masher and give everything in the bowl a good bash. Follow with a fork and use that to do a bit finer mashing, while still keeping things fairly thick.
  5. Next, add a bit of sour cream - you don’t want a lot as this can dilute the flavour. About 1 tbsp with these proportions works great, and adds a bit of tangy creaminess that, I think, really compliments the guacamole blend nicely.
  6. All that's left is to decant into to a smaller container, cover, and give it some time to chill in the fridge. I usually do it for a few hours, but its fine to eat after just an hour if you can’t wait (fifi usually can’t!)
Notes
  1. Don’t be tempted to do any of this in a food processor, it just doesn’t work, and you really want it to have a nice ‘rustic’ feel to it with random chunks of avocado in amongst the mash. It’s also much better for scooping onto tortilla chips that way.
fifigoesnom https://www.fifigoesnom.com/