Fish Fridays: Fish Tacos

Ever have a dish that just transports you back in time to where you were the moment you first tried it.  Well, that’s what this dish does for me.   I was in southern California at the time for work and ended up staying a little longer to travel north to San Fransisco to visit a dear friend from college.  We did all the typical touristy things that you do while you’re visiting San Fransisco but we also went some places I had never heard of before.

One place that we went to that I immediately loved was  Sausalito, CA which is this picturesque waterfront community with all these charming outdoor cafes and bistros, eclectic art shops, and fine art galleries.  This charming place was where I had my first bite of fish tacos.  Which, if you had told me I would like fish tacos prior to trying them, I would have said nope… not me.  My 4 boys (including my husband in that number since he’s just the biggest kid in our family) like them too.  My eight year old calls the fish “chicken” and I just haven’t felt the need to correct him on that yet..

Now every time I make this dish I am reminded of a sunny afternoon sitting at an outdoor bistro on the water, sipping a margarita, spending time with a great friend just chatting and people watching.

Print Recipe

Fish Tacos

Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 1 1/2 tsp honey
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp seafood seasoning such as Old Bayâ„¢
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce or to taste
• 1 pound tilapia fillets cut into chunks (Mahi-mahi can be substituted for the tilapia)

Sauce

• 1 8 ounce container light sour cream
• 1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp seafood seasoning such as Old Bayâ„¢
• salt and pepper to taste

Toppings

• 1 10 ounce package tortillas
• 3 ripe tomatoes seeded and diced
• 1 bunch cilantro chopped
• 1 small head cabbage cored and shredded
• 2 limes cut in wedges

Instructions

• To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the tilapia in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
• To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
• Remove fish from marinade, drain off any excess and discard marinade. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake fish in preheated oven until it easily flakes with a fork, 9 to 11 minutes.
• Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and cabbage; drizzle with dressing. To serve, roll up tortillas around fillings, and garnish with lime wedges.