Ancho Chili Rubbed Fish Tacos w/Lime Ginger Slaw and Avocado Crema

This is kind of long!

I recently dealt with a situation with a Recent Friend that made me think about a similar issue I had early last year with a Former Friend, and how vastly different they were handled.

I’ve spoken about Former Friend:  she and I had been friends for years.  She was fun and funny and I really enjoyed hanging out with her.  She didn’t like something I said about her, to her.  Instead of coming to me with her issues with what or how I said something she did it maliciously, behind my back. With Recent Friend the situation was handled so much better and, most importantly, the relationship was preserved.  

A group of us went out to dinner one Friday night.  Let me back up…

The preceding Thursday I lost my debit card. I didn't realize it until Friday when I was trying to buy lunch.   I cancel the card but since my bank is not local it will take a couple of business days to get a new card to me.  No big deal.

So I get the text about Friday night dinner and I am hyped!  Not only do I get to hug her neck (she'd recently gotten married!!) but, I also get to meet up with another one of my favorite couples, and another mutual friend who’s in town for a conference!  All the win right?!  

I ended up working late and never gave a second thought about my card.  Well, I get downtown and it hits me that I don’t have my card.  I was already late for dinner and I didn’t want to simp out and cancel.  So I found free parking, made sure I had my emergency $20, that E insists I keep on me, and I head out.

I enjoy hanging with my peeps, I’m mindful of my meager cash budget and have the most delicious fish tacos at the tapas spot.  When the bill comes I hand over my $20 and failed to ask for change!  Waiter thanks us for being great customers and leaves.  I tell Recent Friend that he failed to bring me change.  I THOUGHT she felt some kind of way about me asking for change; she and her husband ended up giving it to me.  It bothered me for two or three days before I finally sent her a text message explaining, hoping we were OK.

She basically told me to get my entire life! LOL She said that we were cool, she apologized if she gave any impression that she was “put off” about anything, she appreciated me addressing how I felt and expressed how she hated misunderstandings too.  We e-hugged it out and all is well!  Reading the text made me smile real big and made me thankful for having for real good people in my life.

So in honor of those happy feelings I made my version of those delicious fish tacos I had at the tapas restaurant.  Remind me to tell you how Recent Friend and her Husband always choose the BEST places for us to hang out. 

Chili Rubbed Fish Tacos w/Lime Ginger Slaw and Avocado Crema

What you need:

• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
• 3-4 Firm white fish fillets (tilapia, cod, etc.) 
• 3-4 Tablespoons of oil. Enough oil to lightly pan sear the fish
• Flour or *corn tortillas

 
For the slaw (while fresh is always best, bagged slaw mix saves time during the workweek):

• Juice of 1-2 limes
• 1-2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2-3 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups bagged slaw mix

For the Avocado Crema:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 ripened avocado
• 1 de-seeded jalapeno, chopped
• Juice of one lime
• Salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste

What to do:

Make the Crema

• In a blender or food processor, puree the yogurt, avocado, jalapeno, lime juice and seasonings. 
• Cover and place in fridge until ready to build tacos

Make the slaw

• In small bowl, whisk the first five ingredients for the dressing. Cover and place in the fridge.
• Right before serving the fish drizzle the dressing over the slaw and give it a good stir to coat.  Add directly on top of tacos!

For the fish

• Place all of the spices and herbs in a small bowl and mix well.  Test for flavor and adjust accordingly
• Sprinkle a generous amount of the spice blend onto the back and front of the fish  
• Gently rub the seasoning on the fish
• Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a pan, over medium heat
• Add the fish, 1 or 2 fillets at a time, and sear 3-5 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Try to only flip it once
• Continue cooking, adding additional oil as needed, until all fish is cooked through.
• Build your tacos: fish, slaw, crema, cheese!
• Enjoy!

*If using corn tortillas, heat them in a tiny bit of oil for few seconds per side to make them more pliable

Sweet Orange Salmon

We eat tons of fish and seafood in our home. I mean we should own stock in a fishery somewhere! We eat so much salmon I am always scouting and trying new recipes. I love lemon on seafood but never thought to add any other type of citrus.

Baybey! This right here…is banging! What’s so gangsta about it is that it literally took less then 20 minutes to prep AND cook! I love easy but top that with delicious and it’s on and poppin! Trust this will be a repeat! Contrary to the title it is not that sweet and there is only a hint of orange. To me it had the perfect combo of sweet and smokey and citrus. Another reason this will remain in the arsenal, you only need non-stick cooking spray to cook it with!

Sweet Orange Salmon

Adapted from Cooking Light at http://www.myrecipes.com/recipes/

What You Need:

• 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Juice and zest from an entire orange
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Cooking spray

What To Do:

• Preheat broiler
• Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl
• Rub spice mixture over salmon
• Place salmon on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray
• Broil for 8 minutes or until salmon flakes easily when tested with a fork
• Squeeze fresh orange juice over hot fish. Enjoy

Originally posted on May 12, 2010 from an old blog

Pecan Crusted Trout

For some reason the fish looks greasy but it really wasn't!

 On the continued quest to eat as much food from the pantry as possible, I found that I had little left over corners of pecans, walnuts and pistachios. I saved the walnuts and pistachios for loaded oatmeal cookies I will make later this week but the pecans are for fish!

There is this little restaurant that used to make the best pecan crusted trout I've ever eaten. I asked the cook what was his secret and he said "nothing but nuts", meaning no bread crumbs, flour or other filler. What a difference in taste!

Pecan Crusted Trout w/Browned Butter Sauce

What you need:

• 4 6 oz Trout portions (I used an entire fillet)
• Enough olive oil to rub over each fillet
• 1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon each oregano and dill, or your favorite herb combination
• 1 cup chopped pecans (I chopped half coarsely and the other half fine)
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter

What to do:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Rub olive oil over each fillet
• Season fish with salt and pepper and herbs
• Place pecans in a shallow dish and generously coat each fillet with the nuts, gently pressing pecans onto the fish
• Place fillets, crumb side up, on a sheet pan coated with non-stick spray
• Roast until fish is cooked through and flaky, about 20 minutes depending on the thickness of your fillets
• While fish is roasting, make the Browned Butter Sauce
• In a medium sauce pan over low heat, cook the butter until it begins to brown (5-7 minutes)
• Remove from heat when the butter begins to smell nutty. Be careful not to burn it
• Place rested fish on individual plates and sauce each fillet lightly with the sauce

Homemade Fish Fry

 Know how easy it is to make your own fish fry?

One part cornmeal (yellow or white doesn't matter)
Half part flour
Couple of tablespoons of your favorite seasoned salt
Mix well, store in an airtight container

 Um. That's it. LOLOL

     

Fresh Trout Almondine

 

This was a Weeknight Winner! Came together easily, on the table in less than 30 minutes. Rainbow trout is pretty thin so it takes no time to cook through.

 

 

Fresh Trout Almondine

Adapted from

http://newfinmysoup.blogspot.com/2011/05/trout-amandine-from-my-new-orleans.html

 

What you need:

• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 Tbs creole seasoning, or to taste (Zatarain, Tony Cachere, etc)
• 3 trout fillets 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 8 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

What to do:

• Pour the milk into a shallow dish.
• Put the flour and Creole Spices into another breading tray and stir to combine.
• Season the fillets with pepper, dip them into the milk, then dredge in the seasoned flour.
• Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fillets and cook on each side until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer the fish to a serving platter.
• Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter to the same skillet over medium-high heat.
• Swirl the skillet over the heat so that the butter melts evenly and cook until the butter turns brownish and begins to smell nutty, 5-7 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the almonds, and cook, stirring gently, until the nuts are toasty brown, about 2 minutes.
• Add the lemon juice and parsley.
• Spoon the browned butter and almonds over the fish and serve.

 

 

Originally posted August 2011 on www.threefoodwords.blogspot.com

Wordless Wednesday: Grilled Salmon Tacos

Honey Mustard Shrimp

We STAY having shrimp.  This is my latest recipe for the over abundance that we eat all year.

I have been on this kick of using salad dressings that I make as marinades for different meats and seafood. The honey mustard dressing that I used is one I've made a million times and now it's also an awesome marinade for this here shrimp! These directions are for an outdoor charcoal grill but can easily be cooked in a pan on the stove.

There is not enough citrus in this marinade to cook the shrimp so you can marinate it for up to six hours. The marinade will be kind of thick and that's OK and can be adjusted to suit your sweet/savory tastes.

Honey Mustard Shrimp

What you need:

• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tsp EACH, basil, oregano, thyme (or herb mixture of your choice)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon of dry mustard
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1 - 1 1/2 pound of jumbo shrimp, peeled (tail intact), de-veined

What to do:

1. Mix together the lemon juice, herbs, garlic, Dijon, dry mustard, salt and pepper
2. Add in olive oil. Whisk together. Test for proper flavor
3. Add shrimp.  Marinate for at least an hour or up to six
4. Preheat grill (or skillet) over medium high heat, place the shrimp directly from the marinade onto the skillet. Discard marinade.
5. Cook shrimp 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through.

 
 

Originally posted June 2011

Orange Glazed Salmon

So I already have an orange salmon recipe and it is delicious. However, since I am on this cook new stuff kick and I Stan for Cuis.ine At Ho.me, I tried this one.

It was just soooooooo good and worth the one or two extra steps it took to cook it. The fact that it was just as easy as my go to orange salmon is just a plus!

I used regular old orange marmalade (I found one that had orange peels in it....so good) as I didn't find, nor search that hard, for Seville orange marmalade as the original recipe called for. I also added an additional teaspoon of brown sugar because the my Cajun mix would have been too spicy for Babe's tastes. I also added the juice of an entire lime and about a tablespoon more of the marmalade because I wanted more sauce to drizzle over salad greens.

Orange Glazed Salmon
Adapted from Cuisine at Home

What You Need:

• 2 Tbs Cajun spice


• 2 tsp brown sugar


• 4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (6oz. each)


• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil


• 1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs orange marmalade Juice of one lime

What To Do:

• Combine Cajun spice and sugar in a small bowl


• Rub the spice mixture over all surfaces of fillets


• Saute fillets in oil in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat for 3-4 min per side. Carefully remove salmon to a plate


• Place marmalade and lime in the skillet until melted. Swirl to prevent burning


• Carefully place salmon back into the pan and spoon glaze all over fish.


• The salmon is done when it begins to flake when tested with a fork.

Originally posted September 2011