Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream

The first time I heard of 'fish tacos' I about gagged.  Great way to start a post and encourage you to make it, right?  Well, keep reading... I've told you again and again about my culinary culture shock of moving from Michigan to California, and although I was a taco lover (of the ground beef kind) fish tacos didn't quite fit the bill.  Upon going to some awesome Mexican quick serve restaurant my first month or so of work, a co-worker ordered fish tacos and the idea of it made me want to gag.

I did like fish, which I think a lot of people don't.  I grew up on Lake Superior and my grandpa always ice fished so it was always a treat to have white fish.  My grandma would freeze bags and bags of them in water as she said it kept it fresher.  It always looked a bit gnarly in the fridge to see bags of fish in water stacked everywhere.   But it was good we had a lot because it was always everyone's birthday choice to have a fish fry.  My mom did it the same way as my grandma.  She would fry it in one of her many cast iron skillets with a mixture of homemade breadcrumbs that included saltines, after dipping it in egg to make it stick, and then fry it in vegetable oil until it was a nice golden brown.  It was always served with lots of salt and never with tarter sauce.  This was the only kind of fish that I knew.  I occasionally would order it at a restaurant, but at the ripe age of 22, my high end restaurant experience was lacking, so think more along the lines of fish and chips at a pub.  So, at the time the idea of a 'fish taco' was pretty foreign to me...

So, that first time I passed.  And maybe the second or third time too.  But eventually I came around.  There is a restaurant in San Francisco and I absolutely love their fish tacos.  It's I'm sure not the true authentic ones that all of my Southern California friends rave about, but there was always interesting pieces of fish, sometimes blackened with spices and a different salsa with mango or something different or it had some type of spicy sauce, which I am almost always a fan of.  There were also shrimp tacos on the menu, which I also enjoyed, but not as much as the fish tacos.  

I think the 'traditional 'fish taco is fried, and although as I have described above I am clearly a fan of that as well, I am not a big fryer at home.  Oil splattering everywhere and so much oil to waste!  So when I saw a recipe with the fish grilled I gave it a shot.  I've strayed so much from that recipe that I don't follow it anymore.  And there are a lot of recipes that use similar sauces as well but I've somewhat made up my own that I think is pretty darn good.  And the slaw started out with black bean tacos, but I now use it here.   I wouldn't say that the actual fish part is to die for, it is very good, but just pretty simple and straightforward and you have maybe already prepared fish this way.  But the combination of the fish, the cabbage, lime and the SAUCE is... to... die... for....

This sauce is the epitome of the reason that I called this blog 'feeling saucy'.  Of course like I said, the fish is great, and the fixings to go with it, but mostly the best part of it is the sauce which I drizzled over pretty much everything on my plate.  I think the sauce to black bean ratio was about 1:1.  That's appropriate, right?  It's also good to have on hand in the fridge for  Huevos Rancheros or a quick lunch of black bean tacos which are also good with the slaw so make sure you make extra!

I used halibut here as she calls for, but ask your fishmonger (that's what they call it, right?) what he thinks when you tell him you are making fish tacos.  There might be a better option.  Like white fish maybe?  I'll go check my freezer...

Trish's Tips:  The slaw, even mixed with dressing, will keep in the fridge for a day or so.  Please keep in mind it's a pretty loose recipe.  Just cut up enough cabbage to top your tacos add some green onions, jalapeno and cilantro to your liking then top with a quick dressing of lime juice and olive oil.  I put some measurements as a guideline here for you, but make it your own.  The sauce I was really rigid when coming up with measurements for you, but your taste may be slightly different than mine.  This will keep for a few days in the fridge and as I said up above, is good on everything!  Make lots.  I cooked my fish indoors because it's winter, but feel free to try on your outdoor grill.  I used a grill pan and if it totally falls apart, no biggie, you are just going to shred it anyway.  Always let the fish tell you when to flip.  If you put oil in the pan and the fish sticks to the pan, give it a chance to cook some more.  It will tell you when it's ready to flip.  Goes great with guacamole salad or just a side of black beans.  You won't use the whole can of chipotle chiles in adobo, so take what you need, then throw the rest in a small jar in the freezer for next time.  Easy to just defrost in the microwave.

Fish Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream

Ingredients:

Fish:

2 TBL Olive Oil

Juice of 1/2 lime

salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Sprinkle of cayenne pepper (optional)

1 lb halibut

Chipotle Sour Cream:

1/4 Cup sour cream

3 TBL greek style yogurt

2 TBL Mayo

2-3 tsp minced chipotle chiles in adobo

1 tsp lime juice

1/8 tsp salt

Lime Slaw:

2 cups very thinly sliced cabbage (napa or purple or combination of both)

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 jalapeno (seeds removed for milder, left in for hotter) minced

3 TBL cilantro

Juice of half lime

3 TBL olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Fixings:

Hot sauce

lime wedges

corn tortillas (6-8) depending on how stuffed you like your taco

Put the fish in a small, shallow dish and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cayenne if desired.  Mix the olive oil and lime juice together separately and pour over fish.  Flip to make sure each side is coated and let it sit while you fix the rest of the ingredients.

Make the chipotle sour cream.  Mix all ingredients in small bowl and set aside.  Adjust by adding more salt, pepper, or chipotle chile to taste.

Heat grill pan or saute pan, or your outdoor grill.  Coat with olive oil if it is not non-stick and saute fish.  Don't worry it falls apart as you will be shredding it anyway.  Fish is done when it flakes, in the middle or the thickest part.

While fish is cooking make slaw.  In medium sized bowl, mix cabbage, green onions, jalapeno and cilantro.  In a separate bowl mix lime juice, salt, pepper.  Add only enough dressing to coat slaw.  It may come across a bit limey, but on the taco it will be fine as you would normally squeeze a lime over it anyway.

Warm up tortillas.  On gas range put tortillas directly on flame.  You can probably do 3 at a time.  Watch closely as they will burn, but let get slightly blackened and pliable.  Then turn on their side (see picture) to make in a "U" shape to make it easier to put in the ingredients.  If the tortilla isn't warm it will split in half so make sure it is pliable.  Cover with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.  Assemble tacos.   Put fish in tortilla topped with slaw and chipotle sour cream.   Serve with a lime wedge for those that like it extra citrusy.