Fish Tacos, by Lourdes Castro, “Simply Mexican”, reprinted on Epicurious.com

I made this recipe with Mahi Mahi, but you could make it with any flaky white fish.  I think I would like it equally with cod.  I’ve never been one to crave a fish taco.  Just the sound of it makes me squeamish.  But I had some Mahi that was about to reach that “been in the freezer too long” place, and rather than cook it outright, I thought cutting it up for tacos might work better.  And let me tell you…YUMMY.  YUM!  It was a bit of work, maybe even enough that this recipe will be filed under, “Cook on Sundays Only”, but it was worth every second.

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (you could use much less)

Enough red wine vinegar to cover the onions

1/4 cup olive oil

1.5 tsp. ancho chili powder (I just used whatever chili powder I had on hand)

1.5 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/4 cup light packed fresh cilantro leaves

1 jalapeno, stemmed and chopped (I left this part out…my girls would die if I gave them a jalapeno!)

1 lb flaky white fish, cut into 4 pieces

Salt

8 fresh corn tortillas

Mexican crema (wish I had it…I used sour cream, which worked, but I knew whatever “crema” might be would work better)

Fresh Tomato Salsa (do whatever you want here: I mixed chopped up romas with cilantro and salt and pepper…that was it)

Marinate the Onion

Cover the chopped onion with red wine vinegar and let it set for at least 30 minutes.  It can be stored for several weeks.

Marinate the Fish

Pour the olive oil, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chopped cilantro, and jalapeno into a bowl.  Mix well.  Place the fish in a dish and pour the marinade over it.  Make sure to coat the fish on both sides.  Allow to marinate for 20 minutes.

Cook the Fish

Heat a nonstick saute pan over medium high heat.  Cook the fish in the marinade (no need to add extra oil) and season with salt.  Cook for 4 minutes undisturbed (trust me on this one), and then flip over and cook for another 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and flake.

Heat the Tortillas

Place the tortillas on a plate and sandwich them with damp paper towels.  Microwave for 45 seconds.

Assemble

Place the marinated flaked fish by the heaping spoonful into the tortilla, and layer with the onions, crema, and salsa.

The girls ate it, Greg ate 3, and I think I wolfed my 2 down in seconds flat.  I am never sorry when I mix oregano and cumin (think of my jambalaya).  The flavor is so satisfying without knocking you down.  Enjoy!