Everyone has a menu deal breaker – a dish that, if discovered on a menu, will preclude any other offerings, no matter how tempting they may sound. For me, this dish is fish tacos.
My first fish taco experience occurred many years ago during a trip to Mexico. While wandering through the west coast surfing village of Sayulita, my family and I happened upon an unassuming little eatery boldly proclaiming to be home to “the world’s best fish tacos” on a brightly painted sign. Unfortunately we were unable to immediately investigate the claim, as the restaurant was closed for surfing. A small notice explained that the place was apt to shut its doors without warning whenever a particularly tempting batch of waves lured the cooks to the beach.
The next day we returned to the taco hut and had better luck. Sitting on their patio I enjoyed an ice cold cerveza and the best fish taco in existence. True, it was my first experience but I was an instant believer upon first bite. Tender chunks of fried marlin were sprinkled with crisp slices of cabbage, an incredibly flavourful pineapple salsa, and a drizzle of creamy garlic sauce. The whole delicious mess was resting in a little masa tortilla, fresh from the quaint tortilla factory next door. It was a culinary game changer for my palate, and I ate as many fish tacos as I could during the remainder of my trip.
Back at home, my tan faded but my fish taco fixation did not. Summer approached and I perfected my fish taco recipe using the bounty of my fishing inclined friends. It’s a great casual meal that can be mostly prepped in advance, and guests can personalize their own tacos as desired.
—BY LINDSAY MUIR
Fish Tacos:
Fried Fish
any fresh white fish, cut in roughly 1” chunks
flour
1 egg, beaten
cumin, ground chile powder, chipotle powder, salt and pepper- to taste
canola oil for frying
- Toss the fish with the beaten egg
- Season your flour as desired then dredge batches of fish in the mixture. Ensure you only dredge as much as you can fry in your pan without overcrowding.
- Fry fish immediately after dredging in a shallow layer of oil over medium heat. Once cooked through enough to “flake”, place fish on a paper towel lined plate and keep warm in a low temperature oven until all fish is cooked.
- Serve tacos immediately after cooking all the fish
Pineapple Salsa
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup red pepper, diced
1/8 cup finely chopped cilantro
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
lime juice, to taste
Salt, to taste
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Stir before serving.
Creamy Garlic Aioli
1 egg yolk
1/2 c oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 c sour cream
salt, to taste
lime juice, to taste
- Whisk together the garlic and yolk. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the oil in a thin steady stream to allow for emulsification.
- Add salt and lime juice to taste. Stir in sour cream.
Additional Garnishes
Warmed corn tortillas
slices of avocado
thinly shredded green cabbage
hot sauce