Fish Tacos
2002-04-17 @ 10:13 a.m.
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Yesterday was a great day for me. I rode my bicycle to work. I should explain that I work too far away from home to ride all the way, though I'm sure some people could do it. I ride to the nearest MARTA station, take my bike on the train and get off at a station near work to ride the rest of the way. I can vary how long I get to ride by which station I get off at.
On the way home, I got off a stop earlier than usual to give myself a little extra riding time. It was a beautiful, cool afternoon. We had some rain earlier that made everything smell fresh and green. Since I had gotten off work about 30 minutes early, I got home in time to go for a walk with Badsnake and Angel. Bad is testing a new camera so I walked the dog while she took ear-flapping pictures. After we got home I got a shower and about 30 minutes of deck-sitting time. I love that feeling after I've gotten a lot of excercise - worn out and energized at the same time.
Then I got to work on fish tacos. I've been thinking of ways to make them for a while, even writing notes in a notebook I've turned into my own personal cookbook. So it was finally time to try out my ideas. I've had fish tacos in a couple of different places, made in very different ways. I liked them both ways, but my preference is the fish tacos at an Atlanta restaurant called Sundown Cafe where they batter-fry the fish and serve it on a flour tortilla with a jalapeno remoulade sauce. In San Diego on the pier the fish was not batter-fried (maybe grilled or pan-fried). It was served on a corn tortilla with shredded cabbage. I decided to come up with my own variation.
I got frozen pollock for the fish because it was readily accessible. I was shopping late one evening and the fresh fish had been put away. But I found these bags of individually frozen fillets which will be great to keep on hand in the freezer to use whenever I want fish. I broiled the fish in olive oil and butter with minced garlic, salt and pepper.
The only thing I didn't like about the cabbage on the tacos in San Diego was that it was so dry and plain. So I shredded some purple cabbage (it's so much prettier!) and stir-fried it in olive oil with some minced garlic and salt. Still crisp, but more flavorful.
I made my own version of jalapeno remoulade sauce. Not having the time to make homemade mayonaise, I used Hellman's - about 1/4 cup, and about 1/4 cup of low fat sour cream. I added chopped cilantro, chopped pickled jalapenos, capers, lemon juice and salt. Let it sit in the fridge for a few minutes for the flavors to meld.
We tried this on both flour tortillas and corn tortillas. Jake prefers the corn. Badsnake and I prefer flour. I did warm the torillas for a little while, wrapped in a damp cloth in a warm oven.
They were a hit. We all liked them. (Well, Sara was at work, so she hasn't tried them yet.) I may try making them with fresh fish at some point, but the sauce is so powerful, I'm not sure it will make a huge difference. They are easy and quick to make. In fact, fish cooks so fast, you really have to be prepared before you put it in the oven. I prepped the fish, shredded the cabbage and made the sauce while the oven heated. Then the fish and cabbage cooked quickly at the same time. After I took the fish out of the oven and turned the oven off, I heated the tortillas while we set the table and opened the wine.
With spicy food you need a rich, fruity, relatively simple wine. We had an Alsatian blend that worked well, though Jake noted that it emphasized the fishy taste of the fish. A Riesling or Gewurztraminer would work well also. Though I must admit, the prefered drink with fish tacos is probably a good cold beer or cider.
For Cin: I've never made Ethiopian food! I've also never adopted children from another country. Wow! I wish you wonderful luck!
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