Easy Weeknight Fish Tacos

A couple of weeks ago, my wife found a recipe online for fish tacos with a mango salsa and asked if I'd make them.  I made mental note of it and pushed it aside, knowing I didn't really need a recipe to turn-out a good fish taco.  Plus, I think it had a couple of odd ingredients I don't normally keep in the house.

Fast-forward to this week when I happened to pick-up a big bag of frozen Tilapia.  My wife went down to the chest freezer for some bread and came back up saying, "Hey, I noticed a lot of fish in there.  Can you make fish tacos for dinner?"  I thought about it, realized I had most of the ingredients, and agreed.  Thus was born this recipe, which we've had two times this week because it's light, refreshing, and rediculously easy to make.

Fish Tacos With Peach Salsa
(Serves 2.  Recipe can be doubled)

Note: I used tilapia because it's cheap and was available to me.  Any mild white fish will work well and probably a few darker ones too.  Use what you like, but you'll have to adjust the cooking time and method to suit the thickness of your fish.  Tilapia is very thin.

2 small Tilapia Fillets
Cajun Seasoning, such as Emeril's Essence
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons cooking oil
sugar to taste
1/2 small tomato, seeded
1 peach, peeled and stone removed
1 teaspoon very finely minced shallot or mild onion
1 lime
1-2 sprigs of parsley or cilantro (optional)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded lettuce
4 taco-sized tortillas or hard taco shells (corn or flour)

1) Dice the tomato and peach and place in a bowl with the minced shallot.  Add the juice of the lime, and a teaspoon of chopped cilantro or parsley if using.  Stir to combine and taste.   Add salt, pepper, and sugar a little at a time and taste until you like the flavor.  This is personal preference.  Set the salsa aside to marinate.

2) Dry the fish with paper towels.  Sprinkle one side generously with Cajun seasoning and salt (if your seasoning is salt-free).

3) Heat oil in a heavy-bottom saute pan on medium-high.  Place the fish seasoning-side down in the hot oil and allow to cook until dark brown on the bottom and the edges start to crisp.  Don't move the fish around.

4) Once the bottom is crisp, gently flip the fish with a spatula and use your fingers or a fork to guide it so that it doesn't splash the oil.  Continue to cook the other side.  If the other side begins to darken before the interior is done, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan to trap steam.  Slide a knife or fork into the center of the fish to check for doneness.

5) Remove the cooked fish to a cutting board and cut into slices or chunks. It will probably break apart.  Divide among the taco shells.  Top each with salsa (draining-off as much of the liquid as you can), cheese, and lettuce.  Serve.

Recipe: Tuna (or Salmon) Cakes

As I've posted in the past, we made the decision to make most of our baby's food from scratch.  This worked out extremely well during the "mush" phase of solid eating.  However, now that our daughter is a toddler, she insists on feeding herself and it quite frankly tests our patience to sit there for the better part of an hour, fill the spoon, hand it to her, wait for her to get most of the food into her mouth, fool around with it, wash, rinse, repeat.  You get the picture.

One of the things I figured out early on is that you can take many of the "mush" foods and turn them into finger foods by making pancakes, loafs (like meatloaf), and meatballs or dumplings out of them.  This allows her to self-feed without a spoon but has the advantage of familiar flavors and the soft textures needed to chew with only a few teeth or even just strong gums.

Here's one recipe that our daughter loves and it's reasonably easy to whip-up with canned tuna or salmon.

Tuna or Salmon Cakes

This can be made with flaked whole tuna or salmon if you prefer that over canned.  For a softer texture, omit the 1/4 cup of breadcrumbs in the filling.

10oz (2 cans) Chunk White Tuna or Salmon
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (for filling)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper

3/4 cup plain breadcrumbs (for coating)
canola or vegetable oil (for frying)

1) In a bowl, mix the flaked tuna or salmon with the mayonnaise, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, egg, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste.

2) Place remaining breadcrumbs in a shallow dish.  Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a frying pan.  To test if oil is hot enough, place a piece of bread in the oil.  When bread toasts to a medium-brown, oil is hot enough.

3) Using a 2-tablespoon (1/8 cup) scoop, scoop the mixture into your hand.  Form a rough ball and flatten slightly into a pancake form.  Place cake in breadcrumbs and turn gently to coat.

4) Fry each cake, turning when the first side is golden-brown.  Fry remaining side until also golden-brown.  Remove with a slotted spatula to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

5) Serve immediately or allow to cool slightly and freeze in a zip-top bag with as much air as possible squeezed out.

Recipe: Foil-Packet Fish With Basil & Tomatoes

In light of yesterday's post about unique grilling methods, I thought I'd share this recipe for haddock (or any white fish) steamed in a foil packet on the grill.  This works equally well with any fish, including salmon or swordfish.

Foil-Packet Fish With Basil & Tomatoes

2 portions of white fish (Haddock, Cod, Tilapia, Sea Bass etc.)
1 medium fresh tomato, diced
1/2 lemon, sliced (optional)
1 sprig fresh basil, chopped or cut in a chiffonade (strips)
salt and pepper

1) Begin by making a foil packet.  Cut a 3-foot piece of foil.  Fold it in half the long way.  Fold it in half again in the same direction.  Place on the counter and carefully fold the short ends (sides) in and seal them.  You'll end-up with a pocket with double foil thickness.

2) Season the fish with salt and pepper and slide it into the foil pouch.  Top the fish with tomatoes, lemon slices, and the fresh basil.

3) Seal the last opening of the packet tightly so no liquid will escape.

4) Cook packet on a hot grill 5-10 minutes.  It should blow-up like a pillow as the steam builds inside.  You may need to peek inside (using tongs) to see if the fish is done.

5) Remove from the grill using tongs.  Split the top of the packet open.  Scoop out with a spatula or spoon and serve.  This goes great with hot buttered white rice or a nice salad and some crusty bread.