This recipe may have a lot of steps, but in reality all you need is 20 minutes to marinate your fish. While the fish is marinating, you can make the slaw and creamy chipotle sauce. Sear the fish (less than 10 minutes) and assemble! This dish is as close to a weeknight perfection as it gets. Out of this world tasty and quick!
If you are making salsa verde, make it first (scroll down to the recipe.) Refrigerate until needed.
Slice the fish horizontally into 3/4" thick sticks.
Place the fish in a bowl or re-sealable plastic container, and add oil and spices; rub them in to evenly distribute over the fish. Marinate for 10-20 minutes, but not more.
Next make the slaw. Place cabbage into a colander or strainer, sprinkle with salt and gently toss it. Let the cabbage drain in the colander for at least 15 minutes.
While it's draining, work on the next step of the taco preparation.
After it drained, don't squeeze the cabbage as it will impact its texture, but try to gently toss the cabbage with a fork, encouraging some of the juice to drip down, to avoid your taco from being soggy. Transfer to a bowl, add cilantro and lime juice. Set aside until ready to assemble the taco.
Next, slice your red onions and submerge them with cold water. This will take their pungency away while retaining the crunch.
Right before serving, simply drain them and dry them on paper towels.
While the fish is marinating, make the creamy chipotle sauce. Process mayo or sour cream and chipotles in adobo in a food processor or a blender until smooth. Stir in other ingredients (lime juice, salt, honey, if using) tasting as you add them, to get the sauce to taste in accordance to your preference.
Chipotle chilis in adobo are not always easy to find. Feel free to simply add around 2 TBSP of hot sauce, chili sauce, sriracha to your mayo/sour cream instead of chipotles. Perhaps add a pinch of smoked paprika or chipotle powder for extra heat and smokiness.
Pour about 2 TBSP of oil in a heavy skillet over medium high and heat it until very hot and almost shimmering. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.
Combine all of the blackening seasoning ingredients together, dip only one side of your marinated fish into the blackening seasoning. Place seasoned side down into hot pan.
We will be cooking the fish 80-95% of the way just on one side. The goal is to get it quite blackened, nicely seared and almost fully cooked through. You should observe the top of the fish turning opaque and starting to look cooked. But be sure not to burn it. We are likely looking at around 5 minutes for this step.
Flip the fish gently to sear the other side. You may only need seconds and likely no more than a minute or two on the other side, but again, it will depend on the thickness of your fish. The fish should flake easily and the internal temperature should register 145. Do not overcook.
To assemble the taco:
Top each warm tortilla with the slaw, place some fish on top, add drained red onions, jalapeno slices, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges and any other garnishes you may be using. Drizzle with the creamy chipotle sauce. Serve along with salsa verde, recipe follows, optional. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
If you are making salsa verde, make it first (scroll down to the recipe.) Refrigerate until needed.
Slice the fish horizontally into 3/4" thick sticks.
Place the fish in a bowl or re-sealable plastic container, and add oil and spices; rub them in to evenly distribute over the fish. Marinate for 10-20 minutes, but not more.
Next make the slaw. Place cabbage into a colander or strainer, sprinkle with salt and gently toss it. Let the cabbage drain in the colander for at least 15 minutes.
While it's draining, work on the next step of the taco preparation.
After it drained, don't squeeze the cabbage as it will impact its texture, but try to gently toss the cabbage with a fork, encouraging some of the juice to drip down, to avoid your taco from being soggy. Transfer to a bowl, add cilantro and lime juice. Set aside until ready to assemble the taco.
Next, slice your red onions and submerge them with cold water. This will take their pungency away while retaining the crunch.
Right before serving, simply drain them and dry them on paper towels.
While the fish is marinating, make the creamy chipotle sauce. Process mayo or sour cream and chipotles in adobo in a food processor or a blender until smooth. Stir in other ingredients (lime juice, salt, honey, if using) tasting as you add them, to get the sauce to taste in accordance to your preference.
Chipotle chilis in adobo are not always easy to find. Feel free to simply add around 2 TBSP of hot sauce, chili sauce, sriracha to your mayo/sour cream instead of chipotles. Perhaps add a pinch of smoked paprika or chipotle powder for extra heat and smokiness.
Pour about 2 TBSP of oil in a heavy skillet over medium high and heat it until very hot and almost shimmering. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.
Combine all of the blackening seasoning ingredients together, dip only one side of your marinated fish into the blackening seasoning. Place seasoned side down into hot pan.
We will be cooking the fish 80-95% of the way just on one side. The goal is to get it quite blackened, nicely seared and almost fully cooked through. You should observe the top of the fish turning opaque and starting to look cooked. But be sure not to burn it. We are likely looking at around 5 minutes for this step.
Flip the fish gently to sear the other side. You may only need seconds and likely no more than a minute or two on the other side, but again, it will depend on the thickness of your fish. The fish should flake easily and the internal temperature should register 145. Do not overcook.
To assemble the taco:
Top each warm tortilla with the slaw, place some fish on top, add drained red onions, jalapeno slices, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges and any other garnishes you may be using. Drizzle with the creamy chipotle sauce. Serve along with salsa verde, recipe follows, optional. Enjoy!
