Fish tacos anyone??

[sparkyaber]

My wife and I have been trying to make some decent fish tacos recently, and have been failing miserably. Too salty, too spicy, too bland, etc, etc. Anyone have a good recipe for preparing/seasoning the fish?

Thanks

[nofishfisherman]

My wife and I do fish tacos fairly often, personally I love them and could eat them every week. Here is what we do.

We use a variety of fish, anything with a white flaky fillet will do. We marinade the fillets for a few hours before we cook it up. The marinade changes a little every time depending on what we have on hand. But one of the best is the Mojito Sauce you can buy at Trader Joes, its perfect just as it is out of the jar so just pour a little over the fillets and let them soak.

If we don't have any of that on hand (I am not sure if they make it any more) we'll make our own marinade that is very similar. We usually use olive oil, garlic, lime juice, a little orange juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient to your taste. We probably never make the same exact marinade twice.

We let the fillets soak up the marinade for a few hours or even just a few mintues if we are in a hurry. We cook the fillets on an electric grill we have. No breading, no frying, the key is light and flaky without the grease.

To go with the fillets we'll also make up a batch of lime rice like you'll have at Chipolte. With the fish and rice we'll also put on some lettuce, for cheese we'll use Quesso Fresco, its very mild and crumbly. Make sure you don't forget the quacomole and you should be set. Put all that in a tortilla shell of your choice and you have a pretty quick and easy meal.

We usually cook up enough fish that we'll often times take them to work for our lunches the next day or possibly dinner the next night as well.

[sparkyaber]

That is exactly the type of fish I am talking about, thanks nofish!

[Croix]

Fish tacos are really good!!!

[Jim Uran]

I've never had them, it sounds like some kind of citrus marinade and cilantro are the primary flavor profiles?? I love queso fresco. I make a lot of guacamole at home, I may have to try this out! Good recipe!

[nofishfisherman]

The flavor of the marinade ends up being fairly light in the end but the citrus and cilantro are the main flavors that you'll pick up on.

[LABS4ME]

Try this thread...

http://www.fishingminnesota.com/forum/ub...cos#Post1232799

Fish tacos rule!!!

Good Luck!

Ken

[sparkyaber]

The flavor of the marinade ends up being fairly light in the end but the citrus and cilantro are the main flavors that you'll pick up on.

That is exactly what I am looking for!

Labs, in that recipe you used taco seasoning, is that the ground beef seasoning that comes in little packets?

[delcecchi]

Penzy's has several varieties of taco seasoning. They have a couple of stores in the twin cities. I love that place.

One is on grand near dale and the other is in uptown. Or they are online. But the web site doesn't let you smell the spices.

[SledNeck]

heres some I made last fall...they were fantastic!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup beer

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 lime, juiced

1 jalapeno pepper, minced

1 teaspoon minced capers

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed

1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

1 quart oil for frying

1 pound WALLEYE fillets, cut into 2 to 3 ounce portions

1 (12 ounce) package corn tortillas

1/2 medium head cabbage, finely shredded

DIRECTIONS

To make beer batter: In a large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Blend egg and beer, then quickly stir into the flour mixture (don't worry about a few lumps).

To make white sauce: In a medium bowl, mix together yogurt and mayonnaise. Gradually stir in fresh lime juice until consistency is slightly runny. Season with jalapeno, capers, oregano, cumin, dill, and cayenne.

Heat oil in deep-fryer to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Dust fish pieces lightly with flour. Dip into beer batter, and fry until crisp and golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Lightly fry tortillas; not too crisp. To serve, place fried fish in a tortilla, and top with shredded cabbage, and white sauce.

[Slowhand]

Sled, you got my tummy rumbling for that taco...looks good.

[nofishfisherman]

Originally Posted By: nofishfisherman

The flavor of the marinade ends up being fairly light in the end but the citrus and cilantro are the main flavors that you'll pick up on.

That is exactly what I am looking for!

Labs, in that recipe you used taco seasoning, is that the ground beef seasoning that comes in little packets?

You'll have to let me know how they come out when you try them.

Personally I don't care for fried fish in a taco. I've had it and it just tastes like fried fish wrapped in a tortilla. Don't get me wrong I love fried fish but when I do fish tacos I am looking for a different way to prepare fish altogether with different flavors. Just my opinion.

[LABS4ME]

Yes it is the little packet of taco seasoning. I still use that for the sour cream mix, but use the fajita seasoning on the fish now. About a half packet per pound and a half of fillets. I do not batter or bread them. Soak 'em in lime and season and fry in pepper infused olive oil. Do not over cook. Good spice with a citrus flavor and subtle heat.

They have been a hit every time I do them. Looks like a tornado tears across the table when it is all over. It is nothing to burn through 20-40 of these when you have a group together, but you can certainly 'stretch' the fish doing these and give them a different twist to a fish fry! Set out the tcos w/ the fish and cheese already in them and let the guests top with what they prefer...

Have fun, try a couple different variations. That is the fun of these. Wish I knew what the guys down in Mexico do to them, but man 'o man are they delicious. I think part of the flavor is the Mahi Mahi... I did some with Mahi Mahi when I brought some back a year ago, but it was still a little different... may need a bit of garlic added to the fish when cooking.

Good Luck!

Ken

[nofishfisherman]

I've done these with Mahi Mahi I bought frozen and they were pretty good. I've also used Talapia, and of course the usual local fish.

Really after all the seasoning and add ons the actual fish I used didn't seem to matter much in the overall flavor.

I'll have to try the extra seasoning to my recipe, might add a little kick.

[sparkyaber]

Sled, those look wonderful!

Labs, so you use the fajita seasoning on the fish, what is the taco seasoning for?

[LABS4ME]

The taco seasoning still goes in the sour cream. I like the extra flavor of the fajita seasoning on the fish...

Good Luck!

Ken