Taco Tuesday! I love fish tacos. Our city definitely has some great examples of this dish. There is something to be said for the tempura-battered, deep-fried version, but sometimes you just want a lighter alternative.
This recipe serves up your grilled – with a simple marinade of lime juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. As much as I’d love to buy fresh fish exclusively, that just doesn’t allow for a lot of flexibility in my meal-planning. Given that time management isn’t always my best skill, I tend to buy frozen fish fillets that I can quickly thaw in a bowl of cold water in the sink. Often, this is a more cost-effective approach too.
It was my friend Julia who first introduced me to chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce. At the time, they were a pretty fringe ingredient that could be tough to find outside of specialty grocers. Julia had an awesome food blog for more than five years and was always giving me fresh recipe inspiration. She was also a great resource for me when I was planning to launch my own blog and is one of the few people who is willing to nerd out with me over blog traffic stats. I love my friends and am grateful for them everyday.
These days, chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce can usually be found in the Mexican or International aisle of your local Loblaws. That being said, if you’re interested in discovering some more awesome Latin American ingredients, check out La Tiendita at 848 Merivale Rd. tucked in a small strip mall adjoined to La Cabana restaurant. From corn husks to plantain leaves, La Tiendita has a lot of options to spice up your home cooking.
In this recipe, I mince up a large chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce and mix it up with mayo and sour cream to create a smoky, spicy crema that serves as the base for these fish tacos. I could see this crema working really well on Mexican corn, topped with cilantro, feta and a squeeze of lime.
Where the chipotle crema brings heat, the mango salsa brings a touch of sweetness. The salty feta serves, acidic lime marinade and fresh cilantro balance out the dish.
One thing to note, if you are serving these tacos up to someone who is celiac or gluten intolerant, double-check to make sure your corn tortillas are gluten-free. I’ve found that a lot of corn tortillas actually contain wheat flour. Shopping at a specialty grocer is a good way to ensure you’re getting the real deal.
Grilling the corn tortillas just warms them up, gives them some nice grill marks and a hint of barbecued goodness. Make sure you keep a close eye on them, especially if your barbecue distributes heat unevenly (like mine does) otherwise you’ll end up with charred tortillas.
If you have leftover crema, find an excuse to put it on pretty much anything, sandwiches, corn, a spoon, and eat it up. Extra mango salsa won’t go uneaten with the help of some tortilla chips.
Since these tacos are ready in less than 30 minutes, this is the perfect weeknight recipe or could be great for the upcoming Canada Day long weekend when you don’t want to take on any culinary task too onerous.
Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa
- 4 fillets cod
- 4 limes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 small corn tortillas
- ½ cup feta, crumbled
- 1½ mangoes, peeled and chopped
- ½ jalapeño, seeded and minced
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- 1 lime
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1½ tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced
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Pre-heat barbecue to medium-high.
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Place cod fillets in rimmed baking sheet. Squeeze juice of 1-2 limes over fish. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Thinly slice 1-2 limes and place slices on top of fish. Let stand for 10 minutes before grilling.
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Oil grill. Barbecue fish, lid closed, without turning, until a knife inserted into the thickest part of fish and held for 10 seconds comes out warm. This will take 5 to 8 minutes for cod and 8 to 12 minutes for swordfish. Barbecue tortillas, lid open, until warm. This will take 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Turn over tortillas halfway through. Remove to a basket lined with kitchen towel or foil. Seal to keep warm.
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To assemble, add 1 tbsp of Chipotle Crema to a tortilla, spread evenly, allowing for ½-inch border at edges. Pull fish apart into small pieces with a fork. Add ½ cup of fish to each tortilla. Top with 2 tbsp of mango salsa. Sprinkle with feta and fresh cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime.
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Combine mango, cilantro, jalapeño, red onion and juice of one lime in a medium glass bowl. Mix to combine evenly.
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Finely mince 1 large or 2 small chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Combine with sour cream and mayonnaise in a small bowl.
Hey Yvonne, did your Mom ask for this recipe?
I think fish tacos are her all time favorite meal.
These look wonderful and I will definitely try them. Thanks Yvonne
Ali
Haha, she did not, but she was very happy to eat them.