Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Fruity Fish Tacos


I still remember the first time my mom got a copy of Taste of Home magazine in the mail. At age 12, my main source of cooking advice was my mom's weathered, checkered copy of the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I had made pretty good headway through that staple and was hungry for more.

I poured through the pages of this new magazine publication, taking in the comforting photos and enticing recipes. I recall one of the main themes was cherries, served all different kinds of ways. I had never seen a food magazine before, and the idea of a monthly source of new material for my culinary experimentation thrilled me.

Nowadays, I lean more towards the fresh, the whole foods, and varied ethnic influences. Often my impulse is to shy away from the heavier, convenience-oriented, processed recipes that tend to compose the pages of Taste of Home. Still, I still enjoy getting my copy each month since my mom got me a subscription for Christmas. Every now and then I find something worth investigating, and this one was killer: a light, fruity fish taco. It was a fantastic use for the dorado my husband caught on a recent fishing trip down in Baja California. Gone are the deep-fried nuggets, the cabbage slaw traditionally found in fish taco recipes. We made this version when we had company for dinner and everyone adored them.

Fruity Fish Tacos
Adapted from Taste of Home

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium mango, peeled and cubed
1/2 cup cubed avocado
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 tbsp chopped and seeded jalapeno pepper
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
3 tsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp lemon juice

1 lb halibut steaks, 3/4" thick (or other firm white fish)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Shredded Bib lettuce
4 flour tortillas, 6", warmed
4 tsp sweet Thai chili sauce

COOKING DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl, combine the mango, avocado, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, 2 tsp oil, and lemon juice; set aside. Brush halibut with remaining oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Coat grill rack with cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill halibut covered, over high heat or broil 3-4" from the heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Place lettuce leaves on tortillas. Top with fish and mango mixture. Drizzle with chili sauce.

2 comments:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me!