Fish Tacos

Did you ever just hear the name of something and decide it's nasty, even though you've never tried it? Of course you have (if not recently, think back to when you were six). Well, that's me with fish tacos. I like fish (mild fish mostly) and I like tacos. But for some reason, in my mind fish + tacos = gross. Then one day I saw this recipe and for some reason the equation changed. Fish + tacos = great idea! (Maybe I'm finally growing up.) So I made them and what do ya know...fish + tacos = mmmm. (You can't argue with math.)

FISH TACOS

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Baja Cream:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated lime peel

pinch of salt

To Marinate the Fish:

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 lb. skinless halibut, sea bass or striped bass fillets, cut into ½” x ½” strips

To Cook Fish:

16 corn tortillas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 1/4 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

vegetable oil (for frying)

For Serving:

Tomatillo Salsa Verde

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Guacamole

Pickled Jalapeños and Red Onion

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Baja Cream:

Whisk all ingredients in small bowl. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Fish:

1.      Mix buttermilk, cilantro, pepper sauce, salt, and lime juice in large bowl. Add fish; toss. Cover; chill at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.

2.      Preheat oven to 300° F. Wrap tortillas in foil; place in oven to warm. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Add enough oil to large skillet to reach depth of 1 inch. Heat oil until thermometer registers 350° F. Working in batches, remove fish from marinade and dredge in flour. Carefully add fish to skillet, cover partially, and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper-towel-lined baking sheet to drain, then transfer to oven to keep warm.

3.      Set up buffet with all taco fixings (tortillas, fish, baja cream, pickled red onion/jalapeños, tomatillo salsa verde, fresh tomato salsa and guacamole).

adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2006 (by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes)

sour cream and mayonnaise

lime zest

halved lime
(obviously you should zest it before you juice it)

mixing baja cream ingredients

cilantro

marinade mixed

halibut, sliced into strips

halibut in marinade (inside a plastic bag)

dredging the fish in the flour mixture

frying the fish

fried fish

all the fixin's

everything piled on a corn tortilla

I couldn't find large corn tortillas, so I had to use small
ones. If you use large ones, you should be able to fold all the
sides in so everything is enclosed. If you use small ones,
the trick is not to put it down once you've picked it up.

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