Quarantinechef: fish tacos

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I really want to be on a beach, drinking tequila and eating tacos. But I don’t think I’ll be on a beach again until climate change brings the ocean to Denver, which is at least five years and another apocalypse away.

So in the meantime…I’m making fish tacos at home!

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The original recipe is from Epicurious. I’ve made these several times and they always turn out well. These are especially good for coronavirus end-times cooking: you can make them with frozen fish (I used tilapia), the red onions keep awhile in a cool place, and a head of cabbage lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge. My cilantro was wilted by the time I got around to making this, but wilted was fine for a marinade and I don’t think it’s crucial anyway. Buy the ingredients on your next grocery run and make this near the end when your supplies are running on fumes.

This may look involved because you’re making multiple things. But I threw together the pickles, slaw, and sour cream in ten minutes at lunchtime, then marinated the fish 30min before cooking it. Easy, breezy, beautiful…fish taco girl.

INGREDIENTS:

Pickled red onion:

  • 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons

  • 2 jalapeños

  • 2/3 cup rice vinegar [note: I used white wine vinegar this time because that’s what I had and didn’t notice any difference]

  • 1 tbsp lime juice

  • 1.5 tsp sea salt

Baja cream:

  • 1/2 c mayonnaise [not the Miracle Whip of my youth]

  • 1/2 c sour cream

  • 2 tsp lime juice

  • 1 tsp lime zest

  • salt

Cabbage slaw:

  • 2 tbsp mayonnaise

  • 3/4 tsp lime juice

  • 2 drops jalapeño tabasco [I used a few drops of a different green chile hot sauce]

  • 1/2 head green cabbage, thinly sliced

  • salt and pepper

Fish:

  • 1/4 c olive oil

  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

  • 1.5 tsp dried oregano

  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/4 c cilantro leaves, chopped

  • 1 jalapeño, diced

  • 1 lb flaky white fish filets [I used frozen tilapia]

  • salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Pickled red onion:

  • Slice the red onion in half, then thinly slice (so the slices look like half moons). Put the onion and the 2 jalapeños (whole) into a heatproof bowl.

  • In a small saucepan, heat 2/3 c vinegar (the recipe calls for rice wine; I used white wine vinegar instead). Bring to a boil, stir in the lime juice and salt until the salt dissolves, and then pour the vinegar over the onion and jalapeños.

  • Stir the onions and vinegar to coat, and then let stand at room temperature for at least one hour. Beyond that, refrigerate until ready to use.

Baja cream:

  • Combine 1/2 c mayonnaise, 1/2 c sour cream, 2 tsp lime juice, 1 tsp lime zest, and a little salt. Whisk it together, add more salt if necessary, and refrigerate.

Cabbage slaw:

  • Chop half a head of green cabbage into slaw-shaped pieces [I am not a chef…but you can probably figure out how thinly to slice the cabbage for your slaw liking]

  • In a bowl, mix 2 tbsp mayonnaise, 3/4 tsp lime juice, and 2 drops jalapeño tabasco [or any green chile hot sauce]. This will not look like enough sauce but trust the process.

  • Add the cabbage and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate.

Fish:

  • 20min+ before cooking, combine 1/4 c olive oil, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1.5 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/4 c chopped cilantro leaves, and 1 diced jalapeño.

  • Add 1lb of flaky white fish. Coat the fish with the marinade (I just rubbed it around with my hands)

  • Let rest for 20+ minutes

  • After resting, heat a nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat.

  • Pull the fish out of the marinade and place in pan. Salt the fish. Cook 4 minutes.

  • Flip the fish, salt again, and cook 2 minutes (or until just done)

  • Remove from heat, put into a serving dish, and flake the fish roughly with a couple of forks

To finish:

  • Heat some tortillas

  • Make some tacos with any proportion of the ingredients listed above (or add others if you don’t like these!)

PRODUCTION NOTES:

  • The pickled onions and the baja cream both last at least a week in the fridge and this is more than you need of either of them. It’s a good chance to make another kind of taco (or nachos?) later in the week.

  • 1lb of fish = 4 servings. For this version, I used a 12oz package of frozen/thawed tilapia, which yielded three servings instead.

  • These actually keep pretty well. To eat the leftovers, reheat just the amount of fish you want to eat by crisping it up in a nonstick skillet for a couple of minutes. The fish is probably safe for 2-3 days, but don’t sue me if you get sick.