The Best Fish Tacos

     You know a good fish taco by its taste.  My first fish taco was at Huntington Beach about a block up from the pier.  All the flavors just about exploded in my mouth--it was so delicious.  Anyway for years I had thought fish didn't belong in a taco shell so I had never even tried one.  

But eating those fish tacos put me in recipe scout mode, and I started to Google it.  I couldn't believe it when I made Rachel Ray's recipe, those flavors all came home again.  The title for her fish taco does give you a clue though that this is one good fish taco.  

   Instead of mahi, I usually just use cod.  The pico de gallo recipe is from a Texas airport cookbook. 

With Cinco de Mayo just a few days away, I wanted to put up some of my  favorite Mexican recipes. Enjoy!

Rachel Ray's Fish Taco Recipe 

from Rachel Ray  www.foodnetwork.com – enough for 15 corn tortilla tacos

1.  Prepare fish:  Rinse mahi mahi. I often use cod.  Make the marinade for the fish with:  Zest 1 lime and mix it with 1 T oil, 1 t salt, ¼ t pepper and pour over fish and set in fridge until ready to grill or fry in a cast iron skillet.  

2.  Prepare veggies:  (I usually put all of these in three bowls to help me stay organized as I chop.)

(1)  Dice 1/4^th of a  red onion and put aside for the cabbage slaw

(2)  Then chop the rest of it for the pico de gallo.

(3)  Mince 2 cloves of garlic and set aside for the pico de gallo.

(4)  Dice up 1 jalapeño that you've seeded also for the pico de gallo.  It's great without it!

(5)  Dice 1 green pepper for the pico de gallo.

(6)  Dice 1 white sweet onion for the pico de gallo.

(7)  Slice finely ¼ of a head of green cabbage for the slaw.

(8)  Slice finely ½ cup of cilantro for the cabbage slaw, 1/4 cup for the pico de gallo, and 2 T for Baja dressing. 

(9)  Dice 1 cup of tomatoes for the pico de gallo.

3.  Cabbage slaw:   In a bowl put the finely sliced cabbage, red onion, and  cilantro and then toss with the slaw dressing.  

4. Mix slaw dressing:  Whisk together the juice of 1 lime, 1 ½ T honey (I often just use agave syrup) , 1 ½ T olive oil, ½ tsp.salt, ¼ tsp. pepper.  Pour over slaw.   

5.  Baja dressing to spread on corn tortilla shells:   Mix together ½ cup sour cream, ½ cup mayo, ½ of a lemon juiced, 1 t salt, 2 T salsa, 2 T cilantro.  (I halved this because it made a lot!  Actually half of this recipe is enough to make about 15 tacos)

6.  Prepare pico de gallo: In a bowl put:
(1)  the rest of the chopped red onion
(2)  1 cup of chopped tomatoes
(3)  ¼ cup of cilantro
(4) 1 small green pepper diced
(5) 1 diced medium white sweet onion
(6)  2 cloves of minced garlic
(7)  Then stir in  ½ cup of salsa, 1 tsp. salt, and the juice of 1 lemon or lime. 
(This recipe for pico de gallo is from a small cookbook I picked up at a Texas airport.  It's our favorite.)

7.  Grill fish:   Grill the mahi mahi or cod for 4 minutes, turn over and grill for another 4 minutes. Then cut it into pieces for the tacos.  

 (I have also cooked this fish in my cast iron skillet on medium high with about 2 T of coconut oil, and it comes out fantastic.  I let it get a bit seared and then flip the fish over.  Trader Joes sells mahi mahi  and cod in small chunks that are easy to chop up.)

8.  Warm up corn tortillas:  Warm up shells in oven, microwave or in foil on the top shelf of BBQ.

9.  Assemble:  Spread corn tortilla shells with Baja dressing, top with about 2 tablespoons of fish, 2 T of cabbage slaw, and then put pico de gallo on the top.

Blog Update July 31, 2012 - Last night I made fish tacos for the international students, and for two of them it was their first time having a fish taco.  Anyway I used cod instead of mahi mahi, and my husband liked it better because the cod doesn't have as strong a flavor. Either way you are going to enjoy some great fish tacos!


Other Mexican recipes on this blog:

Mexican Casseroles
Texas Style Gluten Free Stacked Enchiladas  (From my Come & Dine cookbook)
Acapulco Delight - A great Mexican Enchilada (From my Heritage School Cookbook)
Michelle's Favorite Vegetarian Enchiladas   (From my daughter)
Kathy's Baked Chili & Chips Casserole  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Fiesta Gluten Free Tamale Pie   (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Authentic Chicken Enchiladas Verde  (From a church friend)
Rebecca's Favorite Chicken & Chile Enchiladas  (From a church friend)
Delores's Chicken & Tortilla Casserole (Made Gluten Free)  (From my church cookbook, Come & Dine)
Great Beef Enchiladas - From my church cookbook, Come & Dine
El Dorada Beef & Cheese Casserole  - From my Heritage School cookbook
Mexican Beef & Bean Pie - From my daughter-in-law's family reunion cookbook

Tacos, Chimichangas  & Etc.
The Best Fish Tacos   (Modified from Food Network)
Fantastic Baked Chimichangas  (From my Syre School Cookbook)
Authentic Chicken Flautas  (My hispanic friend Abbie taught me how to make these!)

Delicious Chicken Fajitas  (A mix of many recipes)
Easy Gluten Free Baked Taquitos  (From a newspaper clip)

The Best Homemade Refried Beans  (From an Internet search)
Sara's Grandpa's Recipe for Mexican Beans (from my nephew's wife-a yummy side dish that is thick like a stew)

Mexican Chicken & Beef
Anna's Pollo Guisado (Mexican Braised Chicken)  (From a church friend in Phoenix)
Fantastic Gluten Free Carne Asada!  (From an Internet search--a combination of sites)
Belizean Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, and Belizean Coleslaw  (From my daughter's family)
Make Your Own Chicken Burrito Bowls  - A combo of my favorite recipes for beans &chicken

Soups
Mexican Chicken Soup- A Great Remedy for Colds & Flu  (I got this over 25 years ago from a Mexican cookbook)
Bethany's Crowd Pleasing Tortilla Soup  (From a friend in California)
Southwest Turkey Soup   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Salads
Baja Salad with Black Beans & Quinoa  (My own version of something I ate in Seattle)