I never had fish tacos before. I’ve had shrimp tacos that either Chaz or myself made. Never fish tacos. The thought of fish tacos never appealed to me because when they became popular decades ago my thought was still that tacos were meat topped with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and black olives. The thought of replacing fish for the meat just didn’t call to me. Oh how far I’ve come.
Now that I think outside the box a lot when it comes to creating in my kitchen the thought of fish tacos started to sing in my head. I really needed something to wake up my palate after cooking very simply for weeks after starting my altered diet and getting used to what I can and can’t have.
I really had no idea how they would turn out and it’s not often I share something with you after only making it once. My requirements for this was lots of flavor and balancing between the spice of the fish and the slaw. What I wound up with was a foodgasm. I stared at my plate and could not believe I created the heaven I just put in my mouth.
I used chard for my “taco shell” and wild caught Turbot for the center of attention. Turbot is between halibut and cod in firmness and those three were my choices for wild caught white fish that week.
Fish Tacos – serves four
1 wild caught Turbot fillet (about 1 pound), cut into 4-8 portions or left whole
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 pinches cayenne
salt
1 bunch chard leaves, trimmed
16 ounces cole slaw, broccoli slaw, or rainbow slaw mix
olive oil
Take fish out and place on a platter, cutting board, or long piece of parchment (mine gets wrapped in paper so I leave it on that paper when I open it up). In a small bowl mix together the cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Rub the mixture into both sides of the fish and let sit on the counter while preparing your Creamy Coriander Dressing. Mix your dressing with your slaw mix and refrigerate until ready to use. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons and coat the bottom of the skillet. Add your fish. Do NOT walk away or work on something else. Cook it 3-4 minutes then flip and cook 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove from heat immediately. Your fish should be perfectly tender. Lay out a chard leaf and add some slaw then top with some fish. If you cut your fish into 4 portions, each portion will make 2 tacos.
This post is linked to Whole Food Fridays at Allergy-Free Alaska and Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free.
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